Treasure Hunt
by blondfirefly
Summary: To defeat fear, Wizarding Schools are hosting a Tri-wizard tournament. Three students from each school are selected, with the Hogwarts Trio being the most unusual. New friendships are born, new feelings arise, and hearts are broken. An eighth year Dramione fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

_**Heyhoo! I'm back with another Dramione yumminess for ya'll! I just wrote this chapter last night, and i had to publish it :D Updates will be slow because i have two other WIPs as well *hides face* But i will be updating once in every 10 days [or may be 7] xD Please review because they motivate me so much! I write on my phone- without planning, and i don't have an alpha or a beta, so please ignore my typos! Now onto the first chapter of Treasure Hunt!**_

* * *

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Hermione watched the first years with a lump in her throat. So innocent, so pure. She could see herself, Harry, Ron, and Neville, and so many other people among them. She could see Fred among the group of students laughing at something one of them had said. She could see Professor Snape sneering from his seat at the table. And sometimes, she could even see Lavender giggling next to Parvati.

This was a daily occurrence. She had come back to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year, and so had many others. Luna, Ginny, Padma, Neville- most of them. What had shocked her the most was the return of Draco Malfoy. But it was like he didn't even exist. No students acknowledged him, probably due to the aura he had around him. She hadn't heard him speak. Not even once. He came to classes, took down notes, and left. The professors never bothered him with any questions, and neither did he.

Yes, she had watched him quite closely over the first week, but now she didn't, not because she didn't want to- because she loved studying, but because he seemed to be noticing. He would shift under her gaze until she'd turn her head around, and then she'd feel goosebumps erect on the nape of her neck, because that's how intense his stare would be.

And so she had stopped.

Right now as she's walking towards the great hall, she skids to a halt right at the entrance when someone else walks up at the same time. She looks up and finds the most startling grey eyes looking at her through an invisible wall. _Like always_ , she thinks.

Malfoy clenches his jaw, and gives her the barest of nods. She nods back and steps into the great hall, her back stiff. She can tell he's watching her. And she hates it when he does.

"Good Morning, children" Professor McGonagall begins to speak.

"Today, I'm very pleased to say that we have completed three weeks of this term without a single student having to serve any kind of detention.

I'm very proud of you all. Each and every one of you.

In the last meeting of Magical Congregation, the French Minister came up with the idea of leading our students towards normalcy, and eradicating fear. The idea was put forward due to the fact that in the last Tri wizards tournament, an unforgettable, and unfortunate event took place. An event that spikes fear in our hearts.

So to defeat fear and it's likes, the Ministries have come up with the idea of a Tri Wizards Cup this year."

Several goblets could be heard slipping, and muttering ensued in the great hall.

"Silence"

Once everybody was quiet again, she continued,

"First of all, six witches or wizards will be chosen today, at the very moment from our Seventh Year students. Those six will compete with each other, and finally a trio will be chosen. Three finalists from Hogwarts will be chosen for this tournament. "

"Those three will be known as the Hogwarts Trio, and will compete with the Dumstrang Trio and the Beauxbatons Trio. The winning Trio will be given special rewards from their school.

There is no criteria for the choosing- Mr. Finch-Fletchy, please place your goblet on the table."

Hermione sees Justin lower his goblet to the table, his face showing the panic he was feeling.

" Participants will be chosen after dinner. Dive in" McGonagall snapped her fingers and the dishes appeared.

Hermione saw Ron sitting across from her, munching on a drumstick. She let out a sigh.

"Everything okay, Hermione?" Ginny slid in beside her.

Hermione licked her lips.

" Yeah"

"What do you think?" She asks.

" About what"?

" This tournament. Because I bet on my life that you're in it" Ginny smiles at her.

Hermione smiles back, her eyes falling on the blonde. "I don't know," she says with an exhale as the blond looks up and catches her stare.

She looks around, mortified at being caught- again, and pretends that nothing happened.

Professor McGonagall steps up again, and the hall falls silent. She smiles gratefully at them before clearing her throat.

"Are all seventh years present"? She asks.

"Yes" reply the most of them- except Malfoy.

" Good. As you already know, six students will be chosen. So, I'd like the portrait of Professor Severus Snape to choose the first two participants of this tournament"

The veil was lifted from his portrait, and without any other words, he spoke, "Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson"

 _Typical Snape_ Hermione thinks. But she's a bit shocked to realise that he hadn't chosen Malfoy. She turns her gaze towards the Slytherin table, and finds him already looking at her, his eyebrows hiked as if he knew she'd look at him. And then he raises another brow, gesturing her towards McGonagall. She looks back and finds all eyes on her.

" You've been selected, Hermione! " Ginny squeals beside her and hugs her side.

McGonagall clears her throat and continues, "Luna Lovegood, and Ginerva Weasley"

Hermione hugs Ginny to her side, as the redhead gets overexcited and begins to swear. " Oh fuck! I'm selected! Me? _Me?_ I need to write a _bloody_ letter!"

Hermione places her hand over her mouth to shut her up, and her gaze lands on the blond again. He's staring at the table- he does that a lot, his gaze unfocused and unmoving. She swallows and turns towards McGonagall, again.

"The final candidate chosen is going to be very special, because it's going to be chosen by the portrait of Professor Albus Dumbledore. "

The hall erupts into applauds and whistles as the portrait is brought forth.

" Good morning, children" he greets and several people dab their eyes to rid themselves of the tears that come from hearing his voice in the Great Hall again.

" I hope you're all well. Congratulations to you all on being present today. I won't talk much, I'd just like to say that _we_ are no better than others if we don't love each other, if we don't forgive each other. Forgive and forget; that's the key to happiness." His blue eyes twinkle.

" The person that I've chosen for this task is a boy. A wizard. Someone who had to do some things because he had no control over them" Hermione turns her head towards the blond, and he's watching the portrait with a curious look in his eyes.

" Because he had no choice. I believe in him, because I've seen the good in his heart. He deserves another chance."

Hermione's inhale is sharp through her nose because she knows who it is. Because she hopes that it is who she thinks it is.

And it is.

" Draco Malfoy "

And she jumps, her fist pausing in the air as she realises that all eyes are on her. Even _his._ She bites her lip "A fly was buzzing around me" she explains, and sits back down, her embarrassment crawling up her cheeks. Malfoy is still looking at her and she gives him her best serious face. The corner of his mouth twitches and she almost doesn't believe it.

" Draco Malfoy it is" McGonagall repeats, but the hall is silent. No applause, no whistles, except for Theodore Nott who applauds once and then claps a hand on Malfoy's back. And he is still watching her.

She looks away because she knows she isn't good at hiding emotion. But that's also a mistake because now she's facing a curious Ginny Weasley.

" What? " She tries to sound nonchalant.

Ginny cocks her head to one side.  
"There was no fly, Hermione"

Hermione blushes in spite of herself, and Ginny's lips tug upwards into a tiny smirk.

She places a hand on Hermione's arm, and whispers, " He's hot, isn't he?"

Hermione slaps her hand away, but her lips are stretched into a stupid smile that had threatened to break her jaw if she hadn't let it out.

* * *

She was waiting in McGonagall's office, her eyes falling shut every now and then. She raises her hand to cover her mouth as a yawn passes. She sighs, and her head snaps up when she feels another presence in the room.

She looks up and finds Malfoy casually walking towards the seat opposite hers. She swallows and turns her head, because she really doesn't want to be alone with Malfoy in a room. Because she doesn't want him to open his mouth, and ruin the calm and gentle image of him that she has in her head.

But she can't help it, and her eyes analyse him from toe to head. He looks at her, an unreadable expression on his face, and then turns around, completely normal.

She clears her throat and then curses herself for it, because he might think it was a way to gain attention, or worse, start a conversation.

There is a knock on the door, and Ginny, Luna, Nott, and a very red looking Parkinson enter. She glances between the redhead and the blonde, raising her brows in a silent question.

Ginny falls into the chair beside her own and turns her head to whisper in her ear.

"Caught Parkinson and Nott in a broom closet. Want to know what they were doing?"

Hermione raises her brows even more, her lips threatening to break into a grin. " No thanks, Ginny" she replies smoothly.

Someone clears their throat, and they all turn their heads to see McGonagall enter her office.

"Good Afternoon, children. I guess I'm late" she smiles politely at them before taking a seat behind her desk.

"First of all, congratulations to all of you on being selected. Believe me, this wasn't a quick decision. Me and all the professors took every detail into account before choosing the six of you. Anyways, the competition between you all will begin from next week, and the actual tournament will begin after a month, in which only three from you six will participate"

Hermione inhales sharply through her nose, and all eyes turn towards her; knowing that she had probably said a prayer for her to be one of the three. A blush crawls up her cheeks, but she can't help but feel a little proud to be the reason behind the amusement that dances behind Malfoy's stone-dead eyes.

She shakes her head, and looks away.

" First task will take place on Sunday, and it will be between Ms. Granger and Ms. Parkinson. The second will be on Tuesday, between Mr. Nott and Ms. Lovegood. And finally, between Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Weasley on Thursday. The winners of these tasks will be chosen for the tournament, and will be the Hogwarts Trio... Your schedules, along with a list of do's and don'ts will be delivered to your common rooms by night. Have a good day"

Hermione stands up, and thanks the Headmistress before exiting her office. She turns around to look for Ginny, but instead her gaze meet his as he looks at her. She holds her breath, her eyes shinning because she isn't even blinking. And then he's shoving his hands in his pockets, and turning around to walk towards the dungeons. And then he's gone.

"Merlin woman! You're quic- what happened?" Ginny asks.

Hermione shakes her head, her curls bouncing on her shoulders. " Nothing. Let's go"

Once in the common room, Ginny pushes Hermione onto the couch, ad plops down beside her, her elbows propped up on her knees, and her face resting in her hands.

"So, what do you think it is?" She asks.  
Hermione chews on her lower lip, wondering what the redhead was talking about.

" The task, Hermione"

Right.

"I don't know." She whispers.

Ginny raises her eyebrows, pulls away, and then grabs her shoulders.

" You don't know. You don't know" she shakes her.

Hermione laughs, "I mean I don't know for sure, but we do have-"

"The library" Ginny finishes for her, and she nods.

"Library? Seriously, Hermione? What are we going to find there?"

" Oh, we won't be finding anything, but once we receive our tasks tonight, I'm going there" she grins.

Ginny smacks her forehead.  
" Merlin help you! " and she laughs.

" What's up with Malfoy? "

And her heart picks up pace at some silly reason that flies over her head.

" What?" She asks, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"He seems...I dont know...different almost"

" War changes people. Nobody comes out unscathed" she shrugs.

" Yes, but he's still the same. I mean...kind of..you know...he still has that _I'm a Malfoy, you're a cockroach_ kind of look" she grimaces.

Hermione giggles. " Cockroach? "

" Yeah...bugs, centipedes or milipeddes.." she pretends to gag.

"You're thinking too much into it. I agree...he has changed, but nothing too drastic that he'd show on the outside. His change was inside. In his heart"

And then silence blooms as Ginny gets the point.

* * *

"Ready to loose, Granger?" Hermione's head snaps up at the voice, her eyes narrowing.

" I assure you, Parkinson, I have no intention of losing" she replies haughtily.

" Oh? But you will" she sneers at her.

Hermione snorts, "Let's act like grownups and let fate decide who's going to win, Mmm?"

Pansy stomps her foot, angrily, and turns towards the exit.

Hermione leans back in her chair, muttering about no peace even in the library, when someone clears their throat. She groans and looks up to find Nott standing in front of her.

She looks around, making sure that his counterpart isn't in sight, and raises an eyebrow.

" What's your task, Granger?" He plops down into the chair across from hers.

She raises her eyebrows as if to say do you really think I'm that stupid?

" Oh come on, I just want to know if it's the same as ours" he says.

" It's not the same" she sniffs.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it, Granger? Thanks" he says and he's out.

Just like that.

He came here for that?

She stares into the empty seat across from her, and shakes her head.

* * *

"Shit, Hermione! How am I going to do all of this? And that too against Malfoy? No chance! No fucking chance!" Ginny is rambling, and by the way she suddenly stops, she knows it too.

"It's going to be fine, Gin! You're.. You're a fine chaser, and well,...he's a good enough seeker" her ears heat up at the look she receives from the redhead.

" Good enough you say, huh?" And all anxiousness just seems to evaporate from her. Hermione laughs. " You were saying something along the lines of 'I can't do this', continue please"

Ginny huffs a laugh and then throws herself back on the bed. "I have no hope"

"Completely hopeless"

"True"

"Touche"

* * *

" How is practice going, Luna?" Hermione slides into the empty space beside the blon- No, the Loo-... Luna, just Luna. The blond was someone else, entirely. Grey e-

" Good enough. Charms has always been my favourite subject" she tells her in the dreamy voice that is so Luna -ish.

" Even Nott was always good in charms" she muses.

Luna nods her head, slowly, and dreamily.

" Yes, Theo was at the top of the class after you, of course. "

And she blurts it out before can stop herself, "And Malfoy"

Luna looks at her, but her eyes are not accusing or searching or even anything, instead, they hold warmth.

" Yes. Draco Malfoy was right behind you. Just like now" she pointed behind her.

Hermione's breath catches in her throat as she turns and finds the blond taking a seat right behind her, next to Parkinson.

She looks away when Parkinson throws a dirty look her way, and excuses herself from Luna, before leaving the Great Hall, and waking towards the library.

Of course.

* * *

 ** **3 October 1999, Sunday****

"How are you so calm, Hermione?" Ginny whispers beside her.

"Layers" she replies.

The redhead gives her an incredulous look, and she elaborates.

" I have two layers. Outer layer and an inner layer. My outer self is calm, but my inner self is shaking and shivering"

Ginny shakes her head, a light chuckle escaping her.

" Tell your inner self to relax, because Mr. Oh Why So Hot is walking towards us" she whispers.

Hermione's head snaps up, her eyes widening for a second before narrowing as The Blond walks towards them.

She holds her breath when he's right in front of them. He looks at her, his eyes travelling between her and Ginny, and then he's walking away- hands shoved deep in his pockets, and hips almost swaying.

" What the fuck was that? " Ginny curses.

But Hermione is too busy trying to tell herself that it was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Malfoy is a slimy git. What else did she expect from him? A bloody good luck? He was probably-no, he was rooting for Parkinson. She tries to bury her disappointment somewhere deep within her, but it keeps emerging. What if Ginny hadn't been here? Would he have talked to her? She can't help but wonder how he'd sound. Because she wants to hear him. She's that desperate to hear it. His voice.

"That was his way of wishing good luck to Hermione" Luna came to stand next to them.

Hermione looks at her. " What?"

She smiles, her gaze focused on a random point at the wall. "His head was full of benedixies." She reasons.

And for once in her life, Hermione wants herself to believe in what she was saying.

Why?

She doesn't know.

* * *

"Good Afternoon, children. Please return to your seats and do not cross the boundary lines that have been laid out. Ms. Granger and Ms. Parkinson, would you both please step up"

The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws cheer for Hermione as she makes her way towards the centre of the room where four cauldrons are lined side by side, two with her name. She takes a deep breath, and her eyes are searching for him before she can stop herself. He isn't here.

Pansy steps up beside her, her face blank, and posture rigid. " You have three hours to brew the two potions listed on the sheets on your tables. Professor Slughorn will be checking them. Are you both ready?"

They nod their heads. Hermione too quickly, Pansy too stiffly.

"And your time starts...NOW!"

Hermione grabs the sheet from her table, her eyes scanning the potions.

Amortentia and Felix Felicis

Okay okay. She can do this. She has brewed them before.

She pulls the ingredient list for amortentia from a pile of other things which she thinks were placed to confuse them, and her eyes roam over the ingredients, and then she's crushing the moonstone to powder. She gathers everything she needs, her heart beating fast as she, very carefully, brings the ashwinder eggs and places them on the counter beside the first Cauldron.

She takes a deep breath, and gathers a spatula full of peppermint before dumping it into the Cauldron, and it roars to life. Purple sparks shoot up as she intensifies the fire at the bottom of it. She then adds a spoonful of the powdered moonstone, and that's when her eyes catch a flash of blonde.

Her breath hitches in her throat for an unknown reason as her eyes roam over his form. He's not wearing his robes today, just his white button up shirt, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She turns her attention back to the potion, willing herself to stay calm, but it's hard when she sees his fist clenching tightly. She glances up, grey meeting brown, and he looks away, but his fist clenches even tighter. She thinks is just to distract her, until she realises that he's actually trying to help her.

Shit shit shit

She chants in her head as she grabs a fistful of Pearl Dust and adds it into the Cauldron. She breathes out shakily. How could she forget? One more minute and the potion would've failed. God!

And now she can't even concentrate properly because she can see him through her peripheral vision. Goosebumps erect on the side of her neck that's facing him, and she knows that he's watching her even before she glances to her side.

He shifts under her gaze and turns his head towards Nott, who is looking at Luna Lovegood. She lights fire underneath the other Cauldron and gathers all the ingredients for Felix Felicis.

~\

She's working, sweating, working, and sweating some more. She doesn't know how much time has passed or how much time is left, she's just working. Her Felix Felicis is ready, and only a last ingredient is left to be dropped into the other Cauldron and then her amortentia will be ready as well. Her gaze darts towards her left as the blond brings a sandwich to his mouth. She swallows when his eyes meet hers, eyebrows rising, and sh-

" Uh" she gasps as the rose thorns prick her fingertips. She curses herself for being so distracted, and then curses some more when she feels her heart telling her that the blond had winced too. She shakes her head, but his face and thoughts remain, and so she just carries on like everything is normal- when nothing is. She's at war with herself. Consta-

"30 minutes remaining" McGonagall's voice rings through the hall.

Hermione grabs the tongs and uses them to transfer the rose thorns into the amortentia. She stirs it clockwise, and then counterclockwise- twice, before she wipes her forehead with the back of her sleeves, and raises her hand.

" Complete "

And she's probably imagining it all in her head, but she thinks she just saw Nott pat Malfoy's shoulder as the blond's lips twitched.

Yes, she imagined it.

"Complete" Pansy raises her hand.

" Excellent excellent" McGonagall says as she steps down the few stairs, and walks towards them.

"Now since you both finished within the time limit, time won't be a judging factor. Professor Slughorn, if you'll please"

" Of course, of course" the round-belly man walks towards them.

"Let's start with Ms. Parkinson, shall we?... What do you have here Ms. Parkinson? "

Pansy clears her throat, "Amortentia and Felix Felicis"

" Ahh I see. Of course...of course. I'm the one who chose these two potions after all" he chuckles to himself and peeks into her cauldron, inhaling slightly.

His tongue darts out to wet his lips, and he moves towards Parkinson's second cauldron.

He nods his head. " Very well. Now, Ms. Granger"

"Professor" she greets him with a nod.

He smiles at her before examining her potions. She holds her breath as he opens his mouth to speak.

" Ms. Granger, please tell me what your amortentia smells like to you"

She leans over the cauldron, and frowns when the smell is... familiar...but not something she definitely knows.

She clears her throat, "Old books, parchment, rain...and...aftershave"

Slughorn looks at her with a smile on his face. " Excellent! "

" And Ms. Parkinson" he says her name like he knows something that they don't.

Pansy's face turns a bright shade of red, and she leans over her cauldron.

" Step down, Ms. Parkinson. Even you know you've created a mess. Merlin, why would you even lean over to inhale whatever toxic you've brewed"  
Slughorn shakes his head.

And Hermione holds her breath.

"The first person to qualify as a member of the Hogwarts Trio is...Hermione Granger" he announces.

The hall erupts into applauds and whistles and she's jumping before she can know what's happening. "Hermione! " Ginny yells as she runs towards her and envelopes her into a hug.

And when the adrenaline in her body dies down a bit, she glances around the hall to catch a glimpse of the blonde, but he isn't even in the Hall anymore.

She buries her disappointment deep in her heart, and embraces the still enthusiastic redhead- Ginny Weasley.

* * *

 ** **5 October 1999, Tuesday****

The Great Hall is in chaos when she enters. Hushed whispering reaches her ears, and a scream snaps her attention towards the centre of the hall. Her eyes widen as she sees Pansy Parkinson palming her extremely red cheek, and then her eyes land on a furious looking Ginny Weasley.

"Insult my best friend again, Parkinson, I dare you!" Ginny hisses.

Hermione elbows her way through the crowd, heat rising up her ears for an unknown reason. She reaches Ginny and sees that Parkinson is standing in the middle of two blokes. Nott and his counterpart. Hermione refuses to meet the counterpart's eyes, and grabs Ginny's arm.

" What are you doing, Gin?" She whispers harshly.

Ginny pulls her arm away, and glares at Parkinson one last time before storming out of the hall. Hermione swallows thickly, and glues her eyes to the floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone, and follows Ginny out of the Hall.

" Ginny! Ginny!" She yells after her.

Ginny pauses mid stride, and turns to look at her. Her face is red with rage and her nostrils flaring.

" Are you alright? " She asks.

Ginny scowls at her. " That bitch! Parkinson...She...She was saying shit about you!"

"That's nothing new, Gin. Although I have to admit that I expected her to be a bit more mature"

"That shit she was shitting was huge, Hermione!"

Hermione chuckles in spite of herself. "What kind of shit?"

"Let's go to the common room first"

~\

"THAT BITCH PARKINSON-"

"Gin, wait!" Hermione slams the door to the portrait hole shut, and jumps onto the couch beside Ginny.

" Yes, now speak" she says.

Ginny takes a deep breath, and Hermione prepares her ears for the worst.

" She fucking called you a slut" she hisses.

Hermione's ears relax and her eyes widen. Because this isn't something anybody would've said about her. Why wo-

"Why would she say that?" She asks.

Ginny shrugs a shoulder. " Said something about you eying other people's boyfriends"

And for a split second, her heart sinks. Because there's only one man she eyes. Were Malfoy and Parkinson...?

" Hermione" Ginny snaps her fingers in front of her face.

Hermione shakes her head, and cranes her neck to look at the redhead.

" So you just slapped her?" She asks with a smile.

And then Ginny is smirking.  
" I have something interesting to tell as well..." she trails off, a naughty glint in her blue eyes.

"What is it?" She asks, but she knows it wouldn't be so simple.

Ginny's smirk only widens.

"Ginerva Weasley, spit it out!"

Ginny chuckles and hops on the couch, facing Hermione, her legs tucked under her as she leans closer to Hermione. " When Parkinson called you a slut...Malfoy-"

"What?!" Hermione asks, suddenly breathless.

Ginny giggles like a teen, and continues, "Malfoy stopped her. Said something along the lines of Granger is a prude, but Mione, there was no bite in his tone! No sneer. No smirk."

Hermione tries to hide her smile, but she can feel her lips curving at the edges.

Come on Hermione, it's not like he defended you or something. He probably didn't want any drama

But her lips curve all the same.

"Hermione Granger, you're not eying Malfoy, are you?" Ginny raises her brows suspiciously.

Hermione laughs, a nervous one, but says, "Not a chance. Beavers and ferrets don't add up"

And Ginny laughs, while Hermione let's the truth behind her words sink into her heart.

* * *

"Mr Nott, Ms Lovegood, if you'll both please step up" McGonagall calls.

From her peripheral vision, Hermione watches the blond as he claps a hand on Nott's shoulder, her eyes lingering on his pale, long, slender fingers for far too long than she would have liked.

"Good luck, Luna" Ginny yells beside her.

Hermione smiles at Luna, and holds her thumb up to wish her luck.

Luna smiles back at them, but her eyes are glinting in a strange way.

Professor Flitwick walks down, and towards the two participants. "Your task consists of three parts. In part one, you'll be required to transfigure a feather into a pot. With the right spell, the transfigured pot will contain a part from your second task which will be explained to you later. Please take your positions behind the desks."

Ginny clasps her hands together and places them in her lap. Hermione can feel the tension radiating off of her, and she places a hand on the redhead's shoulder. Ginny turns towards her and whispers, "I have a feeling Luna is going to do something bad"

Hermione scoffs "Luna and bad? These words don't go together, Gin."

Ginny twists her lips. " I'm telling you" she mumbles.

Hermione shrugs and turns her attention back to the participants, her eyes fighting hard not to stray and land on Malfoy.

"On the count of three.  
Three  
Two  
One  
GO!" McGonagall yells. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors begin to cheer for Luna. Some of the Hufflepuffs, too, are wearing blue to match with Luna's house, and the Slytherins are quiet. As usual.

" Flick it towards the right. Right right right" Hermione mutters under her breath.

Luna flicks her wand towards the left and then swirls it towards the feather. There is a blast, and the feather catches fire.

Ginny gasps, and Hermione narrows her eyes at Luna, because she doesn't look apologetic at all. In fact, she looks quite pleased with herself.

"Aguamenti" Professor Flitwick points his wand at the feather, and the fire dies out.

He looks pointedly between Luna and Nott, who is eyeing Luna curiously.

"Ms Lovegood, I believe it was just a misunderstanding on your behalf. Let's start all over again"

Other students in the Hall begin to cheer again.

" -yes, professor"

" -it was a mistake"

"-may be Luna's feather was jinxed"

"-bloody Slytherin must have done it"

"Silence!" McGonagall hurries down the stairs.

" I'm afraid, Professor Flitwick, we cannot allow that. Rules are rules, and must be followed."

Professor Flitwick sighs and nods. " Very well, Headmistress"

"Theodre Nott wins!"

And Luna's grin widens.

* * *

" What the fuck was that, Luna?" Ginny snarls.

Luna shrugs, "what?"

"You lost on purpose, didn't you?"

Luna's lips curve into a lopsided grin.  
"I didn't lose. I won" she says.

"Won what?" Hermione asks.

"This," she says, her eyes pointing towards the end of the corridor.

And Malfoy and Nott are walking towards them. Hermione holds her breath, her nails digging in her palm. She doesn't know why Malfoy has this effect on her, but she does know that whatever the reason, she doesn't like it.

"Luna" Nott greets.

And Hermione's jaw almost drops, while Ginny's mouth actually drops open.

"Theo" Luna smiles at him.

Hermione looks between the two of them, confused as to why they were looking at each other like they were- " What th'fuck?!" Ginny screeches.

Because what th'fuck actually. Theo's hands were holding Luna's head as he kissed her. Hermione shakes her head once.  
Twice.  
And then once again.

He pulls away, his lips stretching into an excellent grin. " Same time. Same place" he whispers in her ear.

Luna smiles at him, all big, bright and so Luna.

" Okay" she says.

" Let's go" Malfoy says, grabbing Nott's arm.

And Hermione is sure she stopped breathing

* * *

 **Review1 :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_So much love for those who reviewed/favourited/followed this story! I promise you it'll be fun! I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! :)) All my love x_**

* * *

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

"What. Was. That, Luna?!" Ginny hisses, her blue eyes narrowing.

Luna shrugs.  
"I wasn't allowed to tell you guys"

" What are you talking about, Luna?" Hermione asks.

"Me and Theo...We met during summer...in France. We began spending time together as friends..until he asked me out."

"And you said yes?" Ginny's eyes are as wide as saucers.

" Of course" Luna frowns, "I liked him...a lot. And it just seemed stupid not to say yes"

"So...you're dating Nott?" Hermione asks.

Luna nods.

"Then why didn't we ever see you both together? "

"Theo wanted us to be a secret...didn't want anybody to know about us. That's what I won today, and that's how and why you guys know all of this right now" she says.

"So, for making your relationship public, he asked you to lose the task today?" Ginny asks, her tone conveying exactly how she's feeling- Incredulous.

"Merlin, no" Luna shakes her head.  
"He wasn't worried about his reputation- if you're thinking that, he didn't want me to fa-"

"Wait wait wait! " Ginny holds up her index finger.

Luna looks at her.

" Luna, you do remember that we caught Nott and Parkinson in a _broom_ closet, don't you?" Ginny raises her brows.

"Oh. That was me under polyjuice. That's how we meet" Luna seemed unfazed by her admission.

" What. The. Actual. Fuck!" Ginny snarls.

" Luna, are you sure?" Hermione asks uncertainly.

Luna smiles. "They're not bad people, you know. Just a little odd...and a little left out."

Hermione nods, her gaze unfocused.

" What if he's just playing with you?" Ginny asks.

" He isn't" Luna replies. "We like each other...very much"

" You're not in love with him, are you?" Ginny's expression turns to a horrified one.

"It's the next step" Luna replies with a smile.

"I hope you know what you're doing"

" I do" Luna says, and her eyes turn towards Hermione, knowingly.

Hermione turns away.

* * *

Her heart is beating extremely fast. _Thump thump thump thump._ She cups her hands under the running water, and let's them fill completely before splashing the water on her face. Hermione braces herself on the counter, her arms shaking and feet wobbling. _Blood blood blood._ She can see it, but she can't.

" No" She breathes out.

"No" -again, as a tear rolls down her cheek.

Her stomach churns and her chest heaves with every breath she takes. She grabs her wand from the shelf on top of the sink, and mutters a quick glamour charm to hide the bags under her eyes. She then opens the cabinet and reaches for a calming draught. The war always found its way back...in her head.

* * *

 **7 October 1999, Thursday**

"Stay calm. Don't panic. Stay calm. Don't panic." Ginny tells herself.

Hermione shakes her head, "it's not the first time you're flying, Gin"

"But it is my first time against _him"_

" Think he'll beat you?" Hermione asks with a tiny smirk on her face.

"Oh no way. No _fucking_ way! I'm going to show him how Weasleys play" she sniffs.

Hermione chuckles. " Buckle up then. Just twenty minutes left"

"Right... Mione?"

"Yes"

Ginny's eyes are sparkling as she asks, "Where is the Felix Felicis you made for your task?"

Hermione licks her lips. "P-Professor Slughorn kept it...And even if I had it, I most certainly wouldn't have allowed you to use it"

Ginny scowls "I know. And that's why I would've taken it out of your trunk" she sticks her tongue out.

Hermione huffs a laugh, her insides burning. She hated lying, but she couldn't have let Ginny use the potion, because she wanted _the blond_ to have a fair chance.

Because she was a Gryffindor. Yes, that's why.

* * *

Only Parkinson and Nott were present from the Slytherin House. A sudden something made her heart flutter, and she placed a hand on her chest. It wasn't at all because of the fact that he was alone. So, so alone. His own house members not speaking to him. Having just two friends. His father behind the bars in Azkaban, and his mother buried deep within the ground. Her heart clenched inside her chest. Okay, may be...just _may be_ she did care a _little...just_ a little.

The stands were decorated in Gryffindor colours; red and gold by the Gryffindors. Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were wearing red scarves to show their support for Ginny. Hermione wondered why the other Slytherins weren't here...

"Ms. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, up please!" Madam Hooch whistles.

Hermione holds her breath as she watches the blond mount the broom, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing pale skin and some veins. His gaze remains on the ground as he flies up and high, towards Madam Hooch.

Ginny and Malfoy hover in the air, right in the middle of the field, facing each other.

"Since your positions in the Quidditch Team are not the same, we have come up with a task that would include, both, chasing and seeking skills. The Golden Snitch will be released, and as you'll fly, you'll find many obstacles in your way. Mind you, the obstacle might even be a flying bludger...Any questions?" She asks.

"No, Professor" Ginny says, their voices raised by _sonorous._

Malfoy, as usual, shakes his head.

"Alright, children, best of luck to you both. Please shake your hands"

Ginny's nostrils flare as she raises her hand, and a muscle in Malfoy's jaw twitches as he clasps his hand around hers.

And with a sinking feeling in her heart, Hermione discovers that she's..jealous of Ginny. She turns her head away, her eyes stinging for some reason. She sniffs and pulls her scarf tighter around herself, her nose turning red due to the cold.

Something shatters inside her when she finds her heart praying- almost wishing for Malfoy to win.

"Please win, Gin" She whispers, her breath puffing out.

"No foul play. Get set... and GO!" Madam Hooch whistles, and the crowd erupts into yells and howls.  
" Go Ginny Go " the Gryffindors cheer, and Hermione has to force herself to join. She doesn't know what's happening to her...or why it's happening, but she knows she hates it. Already.

"Go Ginny!" She yells, and freezes as Malfoy looks at her. For the first time in two days- just a glance, nothing more, but nothing else either. And her lips snap shut. He's flying right in front of her, his eyes searching for the glint of golden, but there is no sun, and that's what makes it even more harder.

A bludger soars towards Malfoy, and her eyes widen to the point where she's afraid that they might actually just _pop_ out.

Malfoy dodges it like _no big deal,_ and she's reminded of the fact that he's an excellent seeker.

Ginny, on the other hand, is flying towards the opposite side. Hermione looks at Malfoy, and his eyes are just roaming through the air, never fixed at a spot. She swallows, because if he doesn't start looking properly, then he might lose...And that's why he shouldn't. Yes, he shouldn't look...because she doesn't want him to win. Absolutely not.

"Go Gin" she yells again, her eyes and heart hoping that he'd turn towards her- again, but he doesn't.

She's hoping against hope, because she wants Ginny to win. Yes, she really wants her to win. Not him. Not him. The reason why she's so worked up in this? She doesn't know. And she doesn't wish to find out.

A sudden roar of cheers and whistles snap her attention back to the present. Ginny and Malfoy are drifting towards her, and that's when she sees it, just a spark of gold, right in front of her eyes.

 _Hurry up, Gin_  
 _Faster_  
 _Malfoy is closer_  
 _So close_  
 _Come on Malfoy_  
 _Yes yes yes_  
 _MALFOY!_

She gasps as Draco Malfoy's face comes so close to her, that if she'd just lean a _bit closer..._ he's staring at her. Right in her eyes. There's some silver in his grey eyes, she notices, and a few specks of blue. Ocean blue.

"Draco Malfoy catches the Snitch!" Madam Hooch's whistle hurts her eardrums, because her world has faded. Nothing- Nothing remains except for the man hovering in the air right in front of her.

Malfoy blinks, his eyes landing on the ball of gold in his hands, his fist clenches and she watches, mesmerised, as the corner of his lips tug upwards into a lopsided grin.

She doesn't care if he's looking- or anybody for that matter, and she grins widely, her jaw hurting, because she wants to yell and celebrate with, and for him. He looks at her, his eyes narrowed, and her grin vanishes, and then he takes off in the direction of Madam Hooch in the middle of the field, his eyes taking longer than they should to turn away from her.

Hermione swallows nervously, and sincerely hopes that Ginny didn't see her while she was ogling Malfoy. Silence ensues, save for Theodre Nott, who is standing on his seat on the stands, and clapping and celebrating for his best friend. Hermione finds herself smiling at him, appreciatively, because nobody deserves silence after winning. She remembers the crowd going wild when she won, she just hopes things would change someday, and a Malfoy would be cheered for.

* * *

"You were happy" Ginny says, quietly.

Hermione inhales harshly through her nose, her throat drying out.

"I-I wasn't happy" she says, but there's no use. Because Ginny had seen the look of pure joy on her face.

Ginny snorts," Don't lie to me, Hermione, you know you're shit at lying"

"I'm sorry" she whispers, because she really is. Because she herself doesn't know why her heart beat had escalated after watching the crinkle beside his sparkling eyes, and his crooked lips.

" You're mad, you know that?" Ginny says and jumps onto the bed beside her.

Hermione shifts, giving her space.

"I didn't stand a chance against him anyway" Ginny shrugs.

"Don't say that, Gin"

" Pshaww" Ginny waves her hand in the air "It's good that he won actually" she says.

Hermione's eyes widen.

"Don't look at me like that... I mean I realised it after he won...Nobody even clapped for him Hermione... I mean he deserved it after such an amazing win"

Hermione smiles. " I'm glad you understand. But know one thing, Gin, I didn't...I mean it wasn't on purpose.."

" Your smile just happened?" And the naughtiness that is so Ginny returns to her eyes.

" Oh hush"

" By the way.." she begins, and Hemeione shakes her head, chuckling.

" He remained near you..It was like as if he knew that the Snitch would be somewhere near you"

Hermione refuses to hear her point, because then her brain will work itself up, and reach to invalid and _inappropriate_ conclusions.

" And you were flying towards Parkins-"

"Don't you finish that sentence, Hermione Granger!" Ginny growls.

And Hermione laughs.

"When does the tournament begin?" The redhead asks.

"We have three weeks" she says, and her heart skips a beat when she realises who _we_ are.

The Hogwarts Trio.

Theodre Nott  
Draco Malfoy  
Hermione Granger

 _Shit shit shit_

And it seems like Ginny realises it at the same moment as her.

" The trio!" They both yell.

Ginny squeals and drops back on the bed, throwing her head back, dramatically.

"You're so gone, Hermione Granger! Merlin knows how long you'll have to spend with only Nott and _Malfoy_ for company! "

And there's a thrill, a wave of excitement that shoots through Hermione's spine and travels straight to her heart, making it flutter inside her chest.

" You're excited! " Ginny yells, eyes wide, mouth agape.

" Of course I am...For the tournament, that is" she says with a sly grin, and Ginny laughs. Her laugh is so girly and bubbly, that soon Hermione, too, is clutching at her stomach.

"And Mione? " She says when the laughter dies down a bit.

" Yes?"

" I saw the vial of Felix Felicis in your trunk last night."

"That would've been unfair-" Hermione tries to reason.

" I never said it was wrong of you to keep it from me, but just trust me enough next time" she says with a sigh.

"I will" she promises, and Ginny smiles at her, all bright and beaming eyes.

* * *

The sun is setting, leaving a burnt orange- almost red shade behind. She drops her head onto the grass, and lifts her knees by sliding her feet towards her hips. Hermione loved watching the sunset. It gave her hope- a promise of a new beginning. A promise of returning with something bright and new. She rolls her head to the side, her eyes drifting shut, and inhales the scent of freshly mown grass. It's calming and soothing in a way she doesn't know what to call. And she loves it.

"Granger"

Her head snaps up, and she sits upright. Nott is walking towards her, with Malfoy and Parkinson trailing closely behind.

She swallows, and gets up from the grass, dusting herself clean by slapping her hands on her skirt.

" Yes?" She says when he's right in front of her, and she has to glue her eyes to his to prevent them from straying towards _the blond._

"McGonagall wants to discuss something about the tournament" he says.

She nods and they both turn, almost walking into Malfoy and Parkinson. Hermione's breath hitches in her throat as Parkinson slips her hand through Malfoy's arm, and drags him towards the other side. She tears her eyes away, a deep burning sensation rising behind her eyelids.

And then she remembers.  
 _" Caught Parkinson and Nott in a broom closet"_

 _"It was me under polyjuice"_

 _" Granger eyes other people's boyfriends"_

 _"It was me under polyjuice"_

 _"-other people's boyfriends"_

She comes to an abrupt halt, a pain shooting up her foot.

Nott stops as well, and turns to look at her.

She glances down at her foot, and realises with a start that she was walking barefoot. Her shoes were back where she was lying, and now a tiny shard of glass was halfway inside her foot.

" Oh" Nott says. He grabs her arm to steady her as she lifts the bad foot up to prevent the glass from going inside completely.

"Hold on" Nott says and walks them backwards until her back hits a tree trunk.

"Maintain your balance, and stay still" he says, and drops on his knees in front of her. Red covers her cheeks due to her embarrassment. Nott was on his knees in front of her...holding her foot. She has this sudden urge to giggle.

He carefully grabs the piece of glass, and she grabs the tree to steady herself.

"It's going to hurt" he says and pulls the shard of glass out, all together.

She winces, and he looks at her apologetically. She finds it hard to believe that this is the same Nott. The very same Theodore Nott who she grew up with.

"Thank you" She says as he stands up and wipes his hands on his pants.

" Don't mention" he smiles.

Her gaze lands on Malfoy and Parkinson, walking at a distance, the blond staring right at her.

She holds his gaze as she holds her hand out to Nott. Nott looks at her questioningly, and she almost smirks at the blond before looking at Nott.

"Hermione Granger" she says, grinning.

He grins back, "Theodore Nott...call me Theo"

"Theo" she nods with a smile.

"Granger" he grins, and she chuckles.

"Come on, Draco! You can be all lovey-dovey later"

Hermione's heart slams painfully against her chest, misses a beat, and then beats frantically.

She raises her gaze, and finds Nott smirking and Malfoy scowling.

She turns her head away, and summons her shoes.

The Trio walks towards the castle, together, and then towards McGonagall's office. Nott-Theo holds his hand up, making her and the other man pause. He then flicks his hair out of his face, and gives a dramatic bow. He lifts his hand, and curls it into a fist, slowly. And then bangs it on the oak door.

Hermione can't help the chuckle that escapes her, and she lifts a hand to her mouth to prevent any further embarrassing sounds escaping- because she's very much aware of the blond staring at her.

" Come in" McGonagall calls from the other side of the door.

Theo pushes the door and holds it open for her. She gives him the tiniest of smiles and walks towards the seat opposite McGonagall's desk.

Theo takes a seat on the chair opposite hers, and she holds her breath, because there is only one another empty seat- beside her, and only one other _person._

Malfoy takes a seat beside her, his legs almost touching hers. She swallows thickly, and turns her legs the other way, towards McGonagall's desk.

"How are you all?" The Headmistress asks.

" Fine, thank you" Hermione says.  
" Good" Theo says.  
A nod- that's Malfoy.

"Excellent. So what I've called you here for is-..."

* * *

Theo and Luna were officially an _item._ As Theo had suspected, Luna had to face a lot of criticism. People would call her Loony, and Theo would almost lose his temper.

Hermione smiled as she watched them both from a distance. They were a match made in heaven. Perfect for each other. Luna was a very different girl. Her ideas, thoughts and way of thinking was very unique. Theo on the other hand, Hermione had found, was a very jolly man. He was sweet, but he knew when to put on his mask of indifference. He made Luna laugh, making her eyes sparkle in a way they never did before. Hermione could tell that her laughter reached Theo's heart by the way he'd stare at her.

On the other hand, she had caught Malfoy and Parkinson alone- quite a few times actually, and she was surprised to find that no matter how hard she tried, they always managed to get in her path. She never saw them kiss, or even hug, but by the way Parkinson would hold his arm, or those long walks late at night.. It just wasn't _friend_ type, especially if it's Malfoy.

" Join us, Granger, we're going to Hogsmead" Theo's voice snaps her out of her trance, and she lifts her gaze off the ground.

She smiles at the couple in front of her and says, "No, I have some work to do. Some other time"

Theo nods, and Luna passes a smile her way before they both turn around.

Hermione walks up the slope, to the castle, and enters through the large oak doors. She turns towards the staircase, when she hears a breathy little sound and then a _hiss._ She frowns, and walks towards the corridor to her right.

What she sees is not something she was expecting to see. Parkinson is against the wall, Malfoy's hands beside her head. Their heads are turned towards her, eyes wider than usual. Parkinson's lips are red and swollen, Malfoy's hair is tousled...like someone just ran a hand through it...wildly.

Hermione takes in a shaky breath, her voice foreign to her own ears as she says, "Um..sorry. I was just passing when I thought I heard some noise"

She tucks a stray curl behind her ear, and turns away, but not before she catches the smirk that forms on Parkinson's face.

Bitch.

Hermione walks out of the corridor, slowly- normally. And as soon as she's out, she dashes towards the stairs, her tears heavy on her lids, and slipping through her lashes. Her throat was burning and a block of mass was sitting at its base. A hiccup tears through her mouth, and she covers her mouth with her palm, her feet pounding against the marble floor.

She doesn't stop until she's in the safety of her dorm.

* * *

"I think he hexed me" Hermione tells her reflection in the mirror.

" I can't...I can't...be. It's a jinx. Or may be...he gave me a love potion! _What?_ Love? Where did the L word come from? No, no. This was just...a _crush"_ she grimaces. Never in her wildest dream would she have thought that there will come a day in her life when she'll use _Malfoy_ and _crush_ in the same sentence.

"Well, whatever it was, it's over now. I know better than to keep an eye on _other people's boyfriends,_ especially Parkinson's. Ew."

And now she's feeling a lot better.

She runs a hand through her wild her, trying to smooth it down, and wipes her eyes that are red and swollen, dried tear tracks marking her face.

This was unacceptable. She didn't even know when this had happened, or if anything had happened at all. May be she just misses Harry and Ron. May be it's about friends and friendship. She sighs and swallows a spoonful of dreamless sleep draught.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Granger" Theo calls.

Hermione skids to a halt, and turns to look at the brown haired man.

" Yes?"

" McGonagall wants us" he says sheepishly, and scratches the nape of his neck.

Hermione chuckles. " You only call me when McGonagall wants us" she teases him, her tone light.

He grins, "well yeah. I'm busy most of the time" and his smirk tells her that she wouldn't want to know the details. She throws a playful glare his way, and turns towards the direction of The Headmistress Office, Theo walking beside her.

" You and Luna managed to keep quiet for a long time" she muses.

He grins at her "who says we're quiet?"

Red stains her cheeks as she gets what he has implied. " Not like that, you prat"

" What are you thinking about, Granger? "He feigns innocence.

Hermione laughs, and then her gaze lands on the man standing in front of them. The glass windows catch some rays of the sun, and shine it directly onto his platinum blond hair, making it look almost white. His features look sharp, his grey eyes narrowed.

" What took you so long?" He snarls.

Her breath batches in her throat, and it takes her a moment to realise that he's speaking to Theo.

" Waiting for _us_ to go in, Draco?" Theo smirks.

Malfoy rolls his eyes, his lips turning up into a sneer, and Hermione is baffled and somewhat disgusted at herself for having _the tiniest_ amount of feelings for this sorry excuse for a human being.

Git.

" Need a special invitation, Granger?" He drawls, and she realises with a start that Theo is already inside the office and Malfoy is holding the door open for _her._

She shakes her head, her brown locks whipping back and forth, and walks straight through the door, inhaling sharply, but silently, when she passes by him. He smells of apples and something citrus and...something she has smelt before, but can't quite place what it is.

She walks towards Theo, and takes takes a seat beside him, thanking Merlin for telling Salazar to tell Theo to sit on the double couch.

She really was mad, wasn't she?

The blond takes a seat in front of her, and she glues her eyes to McGonagall's face.

"You might or might not like what I'm about to say..." McGonagall's gaze lands on Hermione, and she groans inwardly because she knows she's the one McGonagall is talking about.

°•○

"WHAT?" Ginny screeches.

Hermione makes a sound which isn't even close to what humans usually make.

" THAT IS...! O MY GOD! WE NEED TO GO SHOPPING RIGHT NOW!" Ginny begins to look for her robe in the wardrobe, and Hermione rolls her eyes.

" Merlin's sake, Gin. That's all that you're worried about? "

"This is good news, Hermione! We can baffle him. Shock him. Make him forget about every other girl that he has met!" Ginny squeals excitedly.

Hermione slams her palm against her forehead. "I'll have to dance with him, Ginny. Dance!" She groans.

Ginny claps her hands, her eyes beaming. "That would be so romantic, Hermione. Just imagine...you and him dancing in the dark with a spotlight above your heads. His hands on your waist, and yours on his shoulders. And he's looking at you like you're the only one present in the Hall."

A shudder runs through her body, and she shakes her head vigorously, trying to get rid of the mental image.

"Don't be daft, Ginny. It's a Yule Ball, not an engagement party. Besides, who said we're going to dance in that way. He might not even want to touch me"

Ginny snorts. " Leave that to me and Luna. We're going to make you look like the most beautiful girl in this world! Now, do you want to go dress shopping, or should I pick one for you myself?" Ginny asks, her hands perched on her hips.

Hermione yawns, her eyes drifting shut.

" I'll go with you but, tomorrow. "

"Fine." Ginny scowls.

The last thing Hermione sees before falling asleep is the joy on Ginny's face as she says, "Can't wait for Saturday"

* * *

" This will look great on you, Hermione!" Ginny grabs a dress from the first rack, and shoves it into Hermione's arms.

Hermione raises her brows at her.

"Go try it on!" Ginny rushes.

Hermione holds the dress up, her lips curving up in distaste. The dress was a satin material, with a very deep sweetheart plunging neckline. It was such a bright red, that it almost hurt her eyes to even look at it. The skirt was too short, showing more skin than she'd like to show.

"I'll look like what Parkinson called me in this dress" Hermione hangs the dress back on the rod, and turns towards Ginny.

" That's not sultry, Hermione. That's _sexy"_ her eyes are beaming.

Hermione scowls at her, clearly catching her meaning, and turns towards Luna as she holds out a dress.

"This would suit you" Luna says.

Hermione takes the dress from Luna, her eyes roaming over it. It really did look good.

"Oh no. What the fuck is this grandma dress?" Ginny scowls.

" It's not a grandma dress" Luna says, as calm as always.

Ginny rolls her eyes "it's practically a galaxy on a dress. Nothing special!"

"Oh it is very special." Luna says with a smile.

Hermione walks towards the mirror, and holds the dress in front of her. It looks like it would fit her perfectly. The dress was a galaxy print, mostly a shade of blues and violets, blended into each other perfectly. The stars are charmed to look brighter than sequins would, and she finds herself liking it already. There's a pattern-

"-we'll see" Ginny bites back.

The redhead and the blonde were still bickering in the background, and Hermione shakes her head.

" Try it on, Hermione" Luna prompts.

" Alright" she steps inside the fitting room, and magically vanishes her clothes. She lifts the dress above and over her head, pulling through, and pulls it down. The dress fits her perfectly. The bodice is made up of diamonds, crystal and clear. The skirt has the print, and as she twirls, it puffs out from below her waist, and she falls in love with it.

"Stop ogling yourself in the mirror, Hermione!" Ginny yells from outside.

Hermione laughs; the redhead knew her too well.

"For fucks sake" Ginny growls and barges in, her eyes rake over her form- head to toe, toe to head, and back down again.

" Wow" Luna says from behind.

Hermione smiles at them and steps out of the fitting room.

"So, how does it look?" She asks, and twirls once.

"THIS IS THE ONE. THIS IS THE FUCKING ONE" Ginny screeches, and the cashier comes running towards them.

" Everything okay?" She asks.

Hermione glares at Ginny. " Yes, sorry for the disturbance"

The girl nods. " You look quite beautiful, Ms. Granger. I didn't know this dress was-"

"Could you please pack it for us? We're running late" Luna interrupts.

" Yes, of course. Call me when you've changed out of it"

" Sure" Luna says.

* * *

" I'm sure we don't need any rehearsals, but let's just go over the plan once. " McGonagall says.

Hermione glances towards her side, and finds Malfoy staring at the floor.

"The opening dance will be by Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger."

Hermione's breath hitches in her throat.

"Mr. Nott will join soon after, with his partner, Ms. Lovegood"

" Professor, I didn't know we could choose our own partners" Malfoy says, his eyes narrowing.

"You can't" She says. "Since you're a Trio, we couldn't exactly have you three dancing altogether like young children, and Mr. Nott approached me first, so he gets to bring his own date" she smiles at him.

Malfoy nods, and his gaze falls to the floor, again.

"Anyways, you have to dance with your partner till the song ends, and then partners will be exchanged...Any questions?"

Silence ensues, and then Theo raises his hand.

" Yes, Mr. Nott?"

" Professor, what about after the dance? Are we allowed to stay with partners of our choice?"

McGonagall raises her eyebrows.

" This question should've been asked by Mr. Malfoy or Ms. Granger, considering that you're already going with your own girlfriend"

Theo glares at her.

"You're all free to do whatever you want to do after the dance, but I expect it to be _perfect."_

* * *

 **23 October, 1999.** [ **Saturday]**

"Out now, Hermione" Ginny yells.

Hermione sighs and opens the bathroom door, her brain telling her that she's forgetting something vital.

Ginny grabs her hand and drags her towards a stool. Pushing her onto it, Ginny grabs her wand with one hand, and unravels her hair with the other. She casts a quick drying charm, mumbling something about _running late.._

" Careful, Gin" Hermione yelps as Ginny rubs moisturiser all over her face. " There's no time to be careful" Ginny pants as if running late to catch a train.

" You're going to injure her this way" Luna says with a slight chuckle.

"Oh hush. Came here and do her hair" Ginny instructs, her hands working on her face.

"Please keep it natural, Gin" Hermione almost pleads.

" Natural, my arse" Ginny says and grabs a kohl pencil and runs it all over her eyelids.

Hermione screeches, "Gin!"

" Calm down, Hermione! Don't you trust me?"

 _No. Not in this matter,_ she wants to say, but ends up groaning instead.

Ginny grabs a brush and begins to blend the kohl on her lids. She then applies some concealer on top, and blends it into her skin. Grabbing a puff from the shelf, she dabs a hint of blush on her cheeks, and then pulls out a container of dark blue and silver glitter. She lines Hermione's eyes with a pitch black matt liquid eyeliner, and then takes an angled brush, dips it into the pot of glitter, and applies it right where her eyeliner ends. Grabbing a mascara, she smothers her lashes with the black pigment.

Meanwhile, Luna splits her hair into four sections, and mutters incantations from a spell book, making her hair all wavy, and calm.  
She then performs a spell, and a shimmer falls all over her. _Silver_ shimmer.

Back to her face, Ginny lines her lips with a rosy pink lip liner, and then fills them in with the same shade of lipstick.

The girls surprise her by pulling a sparkling choker out of a box, and placing it around her neck.

" It's beautiful! " Hermione says, looking at her friends with nothing but affection.

" Not more than you" Ginny says, and fans herself with her hand.

" You look drop-dead gorgeous, Hermione!" Ginny squeals.

"You look like a princess" Luna says, her eyes shinning.

"Thank you so much" Hermione says, and pulls then both in for a hug.

"Wait till he sees you" Ginny whispers in her ear.

And a jolt of excitement runs through her body, making her blood cold and tingly.

 _ **I'm so excited for the next chapter! Eeeeeeek….**_ **!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm back with Chapter Three, lovelies! Thank you so much for the response on the previous two chapters! Your words mean so much to me! This story is going to be a bit of a slow-burn, so ya'll are gonna have to be a bit patient with me. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy. Love x

* * *

Treasure Hunt

Chapter Three

* * *

Taking a deep breath, and gathering up all her Gryffindor courage, Hermione pushes the classroom door open. Her breath hitches in her throat, her mouth going dry. He's clad in a black tuxedo, nothing too fancy. But it's the first time she has seen him like this. His blond hair is not slick and sticking to his head, instead it's a bit ruffled, but still managing to look lush.

He's wearing a wrist watch, the glass catching the light, and blinding her for a moment. She swallows with difficulty, and moves her gaze away from him, because now he's watching her.

Theo walks up to Luna, and places a chaste kiss on her cheek. Hermione turns her head away from them, feeling completely out of place. Malfoy is still watching her, and she subconsciously runs her palm over her hair.

"We're running late" Luna says.

"Yeah, let's go" Theo says, and loops Luna's arm through his own.

Theo and Luna leave, leaving Malfoy and her to suffocate in the thick silence.

Malfoy clears his throat, his eyes moving up from her throat to her face. He nods towards the door, and she walks out. He follows her, and begins to walk towards the Great hall. Hermione follows him, her eyes taking- drinking him in. His back is straight, and his hair shines as they pass the lit lanterns on their way.

Dr-Malfoy pauses, and turns to look at her through hooded eyes. She raises her chin then, and looks him dead in the eye.

"McGonagall's orders" he murmurs, and lifts his hand, offering her to take it. Her heart skips a beat, and she nervously lifts her hand, and places it in his large one. She almost sighs in contentment, because that's how good he feels. That's how good this feels.

Funny though, she didn't remember McGonagall saying anything like that.

His hand is cold and soft against her warm, moist palm. Her heart is beating so fast, and she wonders if he can feel it through the veins on her palm.

And that's when she remembers that she isn't even supposed to be holding his hand this way. He had offered her his hand, and last time when Viktor...

He begins to walk, and she has to keep up with him, afraid that if she lagged, their little connection might be broken. They walk towards the Great Hall, hand in hand. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Pureblood, Muggle-born, Malfoy, Granger. And she thinks they've already defeated hatred.

* * *

McGonagall clears her throat from the other side, and Malfoy drops her hand. She immediately clasps her hands together in front of her and wills the wetness in them to go away. She's feeling chilled to her bones, her teeth almost chattering. The thrill, the rush of adrenaline in her body makes it hard for her to even breathe.

Their view of the hall is obscured by the heavy silver curtain in front of them. She hadn't known their entrance was planned, and she's wringing her hands together to dissipate some of the tension, but it all remains.

The curtain pulls apart, and Malfoy holds his hand out. This time, instead of holding it, she places her palm on his hand like she was supposed to, and they both walk towards the center of the Hall. Hermione keeps her gaze fixed on a random point at a wall, and her heart hammers painfully inside her chest as Malfoy comes to a halt, and pulls his hand away.

She turns to face him, her eyes wide and sparkling. The music begins to play and Malfoy bows his head, and offers her his hand. She swallows thickly before she accepts it, her heart picking up pace with the passage of every second.

The lights are turned low, and a spotlight appears above their heads.

She was not expecting this.

Ginny's words course through her brain, and she desperately tries to keep them at bay.

Dancing in the dark with a spotlight above your heads.

Malfoy intertwines their fingers together, and she slides her other hand up to his shoulder. His hand inches towards her waist, and then snakes towards her back, pulling her closer. She almost looks away, because he's so close. She can see him now. His eyes are a unique shade of grey, with a hint of swirling blues in his iris. His lashes are long and the subtle dusting of blonde hair; his eyebrows, shine as the light falls on them.

His hands on your waist, and yours on his shoulders.

His pupils are dilated, and she wonders if he's seen Parkinson today.

Her feet move on their own accord, and she's relaxing against him. She needs to enjoy this, because she knows she might not get another chance. The song speeds up a bit, and Malfoy pulls his hand away from her waist, and holds it behind his own back. He then untangles their hands, and grabs her fingertips as he applies some force, and she twirls, the chiffon dress puffing out below her waist.

He twirls her once.

Twice.

And then he's pulling her back against his chest. Her breath hitches in her throat because this is way too intense. She can almost feel his heartbeat coursing through her own body, and she's scared that she might lose in her own in between.

He keeps a hold of her fingers as they sway to the music, her back to his chest. She feels him drop his head low, because now his breath is fanning the hair at the nape of her neck, and all she wants to do is close her eyes, throw her head back and sigh.

The music changes beat again, and she finds herself back in Malfoy's arms like in the beginning. He pulls her closer this time, his eyes hooded.

Malfoy looks at her in the eyes, and then his gaze follows a path down her nose to her cheeks and then to her lips...

She unconciously licks them, and looks up at him. His eyes are roaming over her face, his long lashes casting a shadow on his cheekbones. He looks so, Godric, forgive me, beautiful.

And he's looking at you like you're the only one present in the Hall.

He twirls her again, and this time she keeps her gaze low. She freezes as her eyes land on her galaxy print skirt. There are stars that she had never noticed before, shinning and glinting in the dim light of the Hall, connected to each other by white thread, enchanted to shine when it catches light, forming a constellation.

The dragon constellation; Draco.

She almost pushes him away and tries to make an escape, but he holds onto her hand tighter, and his brows furrow. She breathes faster than she's ever had, her vision blurring. How the hell had this happened? She looks down at her dress, and realises her mistake just as soon, because now he's looking there too. He doesn't seem surprised, and that's what bothers her the most.

She thanks the star- _Merlin_...she thanks Merlin as Luna and Theo enter, grabbing the attention of the onlookers, and catching another spotlight.

She had had enough of stars for today.

Her heart picks up pace, palms sweating, and a pounding pain in her head. Her eyes widen as she realises that she's forgotten to take her daily dose of the calming draught. Her eyes scan the Hall, frantically searching for an escape, but find none.

A lump forms in her throat, her airways constricting and reducing her supply of oxygen. She gasps, and Malfoy spins them so that she's facing the curtain, her back to the crowd.

"Granger" he murmurs her name as he continues to glide them gracefully across the floor.

Hermione places both of her on his shoulders to steady herself as the pain becomes excruciating. It felt like the space was closing in on her, like she would die of suffocation.

She gasps again, louder this time, and Malfoy pinches her at the waist.

"Granger" he hisses.

Hermione's head snaps up, her eyes widening, and the lodge in her throat growing bigger and bigger.

"I...I" she whispers, but isn't able to form a coherent sentence.

" Fuck" he hisses as she drops forward, her head bumping into his chin.

"Granger" he warns, and his nails dig into her waist.

Hermione lifts her head, just a little, and takes several deep breaths, her hands braced on his shoulders. He's still swaying them to the music, and Hermione's head spins as she tries to regain composure.

The pounding in her head subsides, but her airways are still clogged up.

"Don't lose your balance" Malfoy murmurs in her ear. She looks into his eyes, confusedly, and his hands leave her waist, inching towards her hand, and he twirls her.

She lands into Theo's arms as Luna twirls towards Malfoy. Theo takes her hand in one of his, his other hand sliding down to her waist. She places her hand on his shoulder, and they begin to sway to the music.

Hermione's vision is still blurry as she watches Theo lean in to whisper in her ear.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

" Y-yeah" she stutters, and then looks down at her dress again as he twirls her, the Dragon Constellation shinning brighter than anything else in her vision.

* * *

After taking a quick a bath and a spoonful of the calming draught, Hermione makes her way towards the couch and hops down beside Ginny.

Ginny chews the inside of her cheek, her eyes narrow and unfocused.

"Where do you think the constellation came from?" She asks.

Hermione shrugs, her mind running around in circles.

" I'm pretty sure it wasn't there before" she says.

Ginny sighs, "May be it's just us...may be we didn't notice it before"

Hermione bites her lower lip, her eyes squeezing shut.

"I shouldn't have looked at it" she groans.

The redhead tsks, "What difference would that have made?"

" He wouldn't have had seen it if it weren't for me gawking at it"

" You weren't gawking, Hermione. I'm pretty sure I would've noticed if you were. Besides, he didn't look surprised at all. May be he had noticed it before"

"...What if he thinks that I wore it for him?"

" You did, didn't you?" Ginny teases.

Hermione rolls her eyes, and drops her head back.

"He's taken, Merlin's sake! Besides, it's Malfoy were talking about."

"The same Malfoy you have a crush on" Ginny remarks.

" What?!" Hermione screeches.

Ginny smirks "I'm right, Hermione, and you know that"

" No, you're not. I do not have a crush on that prat"

"Denial only makes it more beautiful in the end"

"This is ridiculous" Hermione scoffs.

"It is, isn't it?" Ginny leaps off the couch, and Hermione knows nothing good can come from this, because the redhead was preparing to run.

And as suspected, Gin begins to singsong, "Mione and Malfoy...sitting on a tree..." Hermione shoots up from the couch, and dashes towards her, but she continues, "K I S- Ow" Ginny complains as a flying cushion hits her on the head.

* * *

"Excited?," asks a dreamy voice.

Hermione cranes her neck to look at Luna, her lips stretching into a smile.

" I am"

Luna slides into the empty seat beside her. " I would be too"

Hermione frowns at her "that wasn't fair with you, Luna"

Luna shakes her head, her eyes beaming. "Trust me, Hermione. It was"

Hermione shrugs "if you say so."

Luna smiles "Theo loves adventure."

"Don't you?"

"Not as much as he does"

Hermione hums.

"What if it isn't adventurous?"

Luna smiles "It is. "

Hermione's gaze narrows suspiciously "how do you know?"

"I heard McGonagall while she was discussing it with The Board of Directors- unintentionally, of course"

"So...what is it?" Hermione asks, her curiosity taking the better of her.

"I can't tell you that" Luna says calmly.

Hermione groans.

" When will she tell us? The tournament begins tomorrow"

"Perhaps tomorrow then."

* * *

 **1 November 1999 [Day 1]**

The stands were full. People in red were the most prominent, wearing red scarves and hats, holding up banners to cheer for her. Hermione roams her eyes over the crowd, spotting a few familiar faces in between. She pulls her robe tighter around herself, shielding herself from the chill of November.

Malfoy and Theo were walking beside her as the Trio made their way towards the middle of the field where McGonagall and other Professors were waiting for them.

" Good Morning, children" Professor McGonagall smiles at them all.

"Good Morning, Professor" Hermione replies politely.

Malfoy and Theo remain silent.

McGonagall points her wand at her own throat, and mutters a quick sonorous.

"Welcome to the Tri-wizards tournament! This tournament, unlike the previous one, or any other for that matter- is actually what muggles call, Treasure Hunt. The Wizarding World is not familiar with this game, and we are very excited to introduce it to our world.

Treasure Hunt is basically hunting for clues to get to a specific destination. The first clue will be given to them by us, and it is going to be a fairly easy one. The clue is in the form of a riddle, and the three of them have to solve the riddle and find the place or thing.

If it is a thing then it will act as a portkey, and they will be transported to a new place. Mind you, the Dumstrang Trio and the Beauxbatons Trio will also be in the same place as them. Their clues will be different from the other Trios', but the final destination will be the same.

Whoever figures out the clues first and reach the final portkey, will be transported back to their respective school...

Three bags have been packed for you which contain all the necessary items.

Any questions?" McGonagall takes a deep breath.

Hermione's hand shoots up in the air, and the Headmistress smiles knowingly.

" Yes, Ms Granger? "

"Professor, Is it all just Treasure hunt?" She asks confusedly.

"You'll find that it's a very challenging

Treasure hunt, Ms Granger. I can assure you, it won't be easy"

Hermione bites her lip and nods.

"Professor" Theo says.

" Yes, Mr Nott?"

"What's the reward?" He drawls.

McGonagall's brow hikes up, "The love and respect from your fellow schoolmates should be enough, but the winning Trio will get a reward of 20 000 galleons...Anything else, Mr Nott?"

Theo runs his tongue over his teeth, his eyes searching the crowd for a lion hat; his blond eagle.

"How will we...er..contact.. our friends? "

" You are not allowed to contact your friends during the tournament. In case of an emergency, there are three portkeys packed in your bags for each of you three. The portkeys will transport you back to Hogwarts. Keep in mind that this is just a competition and health comes first. Should anyone of you encounter anything dangerous, or fall extremely sick, then please take the portkey back to school.

The tournament can also be won by a Duo, so please don't hesitate to transport back "

Theo nods, his gaze unfocused.

"This will be it then. Be careful, children" McGonagall looks at the Trio worriedly, creases marring her forehead.

The three of them nod their heads, and Hermione passes her a smile.

"Please put your hands together for The Hogwarts Trio. Let the tournament begin!" McGonagall yells and pulls out a napkin which is carefully folded over a red stone.

Theo looks up from the ground, his eyes searching for Luna. His throat bobs up and down as he swallows and lifts his hand to wave at her one last time before leaving.

Hermione turns her head away, and a feeling of warmth envelopes her as Malfoy grabs her hand. She looks at him then, her eyes shinning. His gaze is focused at McGonagall as she carefully unfolds the napkin and reveals the red stone.

Hermione grabs Theo's hand and places it on top of hers and Malfoy's. McGonagall slaps the portkey on their joined hands, the world spins, a feeling of nausea overtakes them, and they land on something hard. Extremely hard.

Hermione grunts out in pain, as Theo lifts himself off her.

"Fucking hell" she hears Malfoy grumble.

She lifts her fists to rub her eyes, and opens them to find herself in the middle of a jungle.

They were currently lying on a tree log, and pain was shooting up her spine. " Come on, Granger" Theo offers her his hand, pulling her to her feet.

"Thank you" She says politely, and dusts her hands over her jeans.

" Where are we?" She mutters.

" No idea" Theo says, and shrugs a shoulder.

" Where's the fucking clue?" Malfoy snarls.

Hermione's head snaps towards his side, his hair tousled and eyes narrowed.

" No fucking clue" Theo responds.

Hermione rolls her eyes internally.

Something behind Malfoy catches her eye, and she points a finger towards what's looking like a cottage from the distance. "What's that?"

"Again, no fucking clue"

" Where are those sodding bags? The old bat-"

"May be they're in there" she interrupts him.

Malfoy looks at her with zeroed eyes, and then turns towards the cottage.

"Oi, where are you going?" Theo questions, and begins to follow Malfoy towards the cottage.

Hermione falls into step beside Theo, her hands clutching at her jumper tightly.

"There's no snow here" she mumbles.

" Thanks, Granger, for stating the obvious" Malfoy's voice rings in her ears, turning them red.

The cottage crouched low into the grassy embankment, as though it were trying to hide, but the misshapen slate roof was too large to go unnoticed. Through the bright sun, she could see the coarse, unevenly sized, grey stones that made up the walls

"Did we travel back in time?" Theo scowls.

Malfoy turns around to face them, his face sharp.

" Shut it for a moment, will you?" He hisses.

Theo's scowl hardens, and Hermione wonders if he'd throw a reply back at the blonde. But, he remains silent.

Malfoy lifts a hand clenched into a fist, and knock on the door; sharp and pointy- just like him.

"I don't think there's anybody in there" Hermione can't help herself, and blurts out the words before her brain can process.

Malfoy glares at her, and she glares right back, her heart hammering inside her chest.

" Go ahead then, Granger" he drawls and steps away from the door. Hermione swallows, lifts her chin up, glares at him, and finally pushes the door open.

The door creaks open to reveal a cozy lounge. There's a fireplace, a book shelf, two sofas and a coffee table.

" There's our bags" Theo says as he enters and walks towards the fireplace. And sure enough, there are three bags lying in front of it. Two green and one red.

" Where's the fucking clue? " Malfoy snarls again.

Hermione turns around sharply, and glares at him. " We're both with you, Malfoy. Even we're looking for it"

" Oh really?" He drawls. " I don't see you looking for it" he sneers at her.

" Neither do I, Malfoy" she bites back.

" Oi you two, come here" Theo calls.

Hermione throws a glare in Malfoy's direction before making her way towards Theo.

" What's that?" She asks, pointing to the envelope in his hand, her eyes widening.

" That's exactly what you think it is."

"The clue" Malfoy says.

" Exactly" Theo smirks.

" Well, open it then" Hermione urges.

" Come on" Theo says and jumps onto the sofa, pating the empty space on either side of him.

Hermione and Malfoy walk towards the couch and sit on either side of Theo.

" Go on, open it" Hermione prompts.

" Ready?" He asks.

Malfoy smacks his arm, "Open it, Theo"

Theo exhales," phew. Okay. Here we go" he peels the Hogwarts stamp off, and pulls the card out of the envelope. The paper is coffee burnt, and words appear on it as they begin to read.

 _ **I grow up big and tall, and lose my clothes in the fall.**_

" Lose my clothes in the fall?..." Hermione mutters.

" Sounds like a wanker to me. Hey, Draco, you sure the clue isn't in your pocket? "

"Shut up, Theo. It's a tree" he states.

" A tree... Of course!" Hermione's eyes light up.

" And they call you the brightest witch of our age?" Malfoy drawls.

Hermione snorts, " Sod off, Malfoy"

Malfoy tsks "Mature," he mumbles.

And Hermione has this sudden urge to smack him upside down on the head.

"Control, guys. If you both haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a jungle with a million trees" Theo pipes in.

"May be it's the largest tree?" Hermione muses.

Malfoy smirks, and she knows he's about to say something beautiful.

"And how do you suppose we find the largest tree, Granger?"

" Mind your own business, Malfoy" she snarls back, and a feeling of pride swells inside her chest as she watches his smirk drop.

" Oh hush, you both" Theo interrupts. "Let's first check what's in our bags, shall we?"

Hermione nods and grabs the red bag. Opening it up, she surveys whatever is inside.

Shirts

Jeans

Pyjamas

Toilet rolls

Some apples and strawberries

Shampoo

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Water bottles

Dittany...

* * *

 **2 November, 1999 [Day 2]**

The cottage was fairly small. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a lounge. Hermione enters the kitchen at 1 am, her eyes sleep deprived. She was always unable to sleep in a new place. She hated the feel of unfamiliar beds.

She covers a yawn with the back of her hand, and reaches for the refrigerator door with the other. Pulling the door open, she finds that the fridge is filled with water bottles and some fruits.

Grabbing a water bottle, she pulls away and pushes the door shut. Covering another yawn, Hermione turns around and bumps into someone.

" Ouch"

"Fucking hell"

Malfoy pushes her away, his eyes narrowed.

" Watch where you're going" he snarls.

" Stop creeping up on people!" She retorts.

" I wasn't creeping up on you, Granger. You were being bloody jumpy for no reason"

" Oh shut up, Malfoy. Don't ruin my day."

"Save it, Granger. As if I'd want to breathe in the same air as you" he snarls.

His words stab her in the chest, but she holds herself up and high.

"The feeling is mutual, Malfoy"

Grumbling something about insolent gits, Hermione walks out of the kitchen.

She walks towards her bedroom, but stops short when she hears someone murmuring inside the boys' bedroom.

Her curiosity takes the better of her, and she pushes the door open. Theo is sitting on the bed, his legs crossed at ankles, and his head hanging low. In his hands was a chain made up of... radishes and some peach coloured balls.

"What have you done to me, Luna?" He mumbles again.

Hermione swallows thickly, feeling like an intruder- which she was, and turns around to leave. Knocking into something hard yet again, she places her palms flat onto the tough surface in front of her; Malfoy's chest.

Malfoy smirks down at her, "Eavesdropping, were you?"

"I...what?" she stutters and pulls her hands away from him, her blood tingling.

Malfoy's smirk widens, causing her nostrils to flare.

Her eyes narrow down to slits as she glares at him. " Out of my way, Malfoy"

He pushes his tongue in his cheek, his lips curving. Stepping out of her way, he mockingly waves her towards the hall.

Hermione rolls her eyes and stalks towards her bedroom.

That night she lay awake in her bed, thinking about what in heavens name had she seen in that git to have a crush on him.

 **Day Three**

The rocks crunch under their feet as they walk towards Merlin knows what. Their little cottage had disappeared some time during the night, and they had all woken up on tree logs, their backs stinging.

Everything was gone, save for their bags, and the clue card.

"Granger" Theo panted.

" Yes?"

"Any idea in that brilliant brain of yours?" He asks.

Hermione groans inwardly, "I'm too sore to even think." She places a hand on her back for emphasis as Malfoy smirks at the term she has used.

 _Sore_

"I'm hungry" Theo barks out, his stomach grumbles and Hermione can't help the chuckle that escapes her.

" You have stuff in your bag, don't you? Eat."

"I'm too lazy to reach behind my back. To open my bag, then to search for food, and then bite, swa- Ow" he palms the spot on his head that was smacked by Malfoy.

Malfoy zips open his bag, grabs an apple, and tosses it to Theo. " Now shut your mouth" he scowls.

Hermione sneers at Malfoy from behind.

How could someone be so rude to their best friend?

" Where are we going?" Theo asks, munching on the green apple.

A muscle in Malfoy's jaw twitches, and Theo smiles wickedly.

"To drown you somewhere" he grumbles.

" Awww tsk tsk. Then you'll be left alone with Granger. Is that what you want? Some alone time with Gr-"

"I swear to God, Theo!" Malfoy growls.

Heat rises in Hermione's cheeks as her brain forms images of her and Malfoy. Alone.

 _Against a tree, may be?_

"Oh, shut up!" She growls out loud.

Malfoy and Theo stop mid-stride, and turn to look at her. Her lips clamp shut, and she exhales sharply through her nose.

"Talking to ourselves now, are we, Granger?" Malfoy smirks.

" I'm wounded" Theo places a hand on his chest, "you'd rather speak to yourself than speak to me?"

Hermione scoffs and mutters angrily under her breath. And the boys laugh, their laughter ringing throughout the jungle.

 **Review, please! I love hearing from you guys! x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

Hello Hello Hello! Words can't express how sorry I am for leaving you guys hanging for so long! I was going through a writer's block and I just couldn't write. Anyways, now my muse is bavk with bang so expect an update every week! Thank you so much for sticking around! An extra long chapter for you guys! _Love xx_

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Four**

 **Day** **Four**

"Oomph" she stumbles over a large rock, her arms flailing around for balance. A large hand closes around her own, but it's neither tough nor warm.

" Thanks" she mumbles.

" Careful, Granger" Theo replies.

Malfoy kicks a pebble out of his path, and it lands in front of her feet in her path.

She turns around to glare at him, but instead, she knocks right into him as he stumbles forward.

"Fucking hell, Granger! You're clumsier than my house elf!"

At this, Hermione's nostrils flare, eyes narrow, and red covers her cheeks as she explodes.

"You're a vile human being, Malfoy!" She yells.

She pokes an accusing finger in his chest, and Theo grabs her arm to keep her from pouncing at Malfoy, but she's having none of it.

"Just who do you think you are? You walk like you own every damn place, and you talk like you own the world! Those creatures are not your bloody property, Malfoy!" Blood pounds in her ears, and her breathing labours.

Malfoy is just looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face, and then he slaps her finger off his chest and brushes away the germs she might have left.

"Oh but they are my property, Granger" he says nonchalantly.

And Hermione is close to tears. She can't believe she was crushing after this guy...this disgusting piece of...

"You...you manky nutter!"

"Is that the best you can come up with, you dimwitted twat?" He snarls right back.

"Guys, let's just calm down!" Theo interrupts, but Hermione slaps his hand away from her arm.

"I can come up with a lot of stuff, Malfoy, but fortunately, I was raised better than you!"

Something dark flashes behind Malfoy's grey orbs, and Hermione wonders if she's crossed a line.

"You don't want to go there, Granger" he hisses his warning.

Hermione snorts, "I'll go wherever I like, Malfoy"

He takes a step forward, and a hint of fear blossoms in the pit of her stomach.

"Okay, this is enough!" Theo steps between them, and Hermione is grateful for the intervention.

Malfoy sneers at her, and she sneers right back, before they continue towards North.

 **Day Five**

"That old bat said that the first clue was going to be easy" Theo groans as he lands to the floor, gracelessly.

"There are a million trees in here" Hermione grounds out as she, too, slides to the ground beside Theo.

"And if we keep stopping like nutters, then we'll be searching for the tree and the tournament would be over" Malfoy butts in.

Git.

" There's something we're missing" she muses.

" Pray tell what, Granger?" Malfoy asks.

Hermione ignores him and turns to face Theo, but he's already asleep.

Malfoy clicks his tongue off the roof of his mouth " looks like you just have the manky nutter for company," he drawls.

" I'd rather sleep than waste my breath on you, Malfoy" she replies smoothly, and lays her head back against the tree bark.

"As if I'd ha-"

"Shut up, Malfoy" she mumbles, and adjusts her head.

She hears him emit a low growl, and a smile graces her lips as she slips off into the land of dreams.

A land where Malfoy is pleasant.

 **Day Six**

"It's been six days and we're nowhere near to finding the clue than we were on our first day" Malfoy mutters under his breath.

Hermione rolls her eyes beside him.

"Five days, Malfoy" she corrects.

"It's the sixth day, Granger. Forgot your abc's and one two three's?" He smirks.

Hermione snorts," The sixth day just started, Malfoy."

"So? You think we're going to find it today?"

"Don't you?"

"Absolutely not"

"You're a pessimist"

"No, it's you who's too bloody optimistic"

"It's good to have hope" she argues back.

"No it isn't. "

"Yes it is! Imagine being stuck in a world where only Hermione's live. Wouldn't you want to get out? Wouldn't you tell yourself that it's going to be alright?"

Malfoy smirks at her.

"At last, you finally figured out that my worst case scenario would be a world full of Herm- Grangers."

She wonders if he was going to say her given name.

"That wouldn't be your worst, Malfoy"

Malfoy glares at her, clearly getting her hint.

"Imagine a world full of Voldemorts. That would be my worst case scenario"

He surprises her by flinching at Voldemort's name, and then turns his head sideways to glare at her.

" You two never stop bickering, do you? " Theo falls into step beside her as he emerges from the trees after emptying his bladder.

Hermione shakes her head, and sighs deeply.

How she wished they'd stop bickering.

 **Day Seven**

"I'm not coming"

Hermione turns her head to look at the blond.

"What do you mean?"

"English, Granger."

Hermione rolls her eyes, and turns around completely to face him.

Placing her hands on her hips, she asks "And what do you mean by you're not coming?"

" Exactly what your tiny little brain is registering. "

Hermione's brows furrow.

" I'm sick of it, Granger!" He drawls.

" Sick of what?"

"Sick of walking, walking, walking and walking...Some more walking-"

"Oh shut up, Malfoy" she hisses through her teeth.

" We're all trying, aren't we?" She says.

Malfoy huffs, "you call this trying? All we do is walk, eat a damn fruit, and take a piss"

" You're being ridiculous. Stop whining like a baby, Malfoy"

That seems to have shut him u-

"Did you just call me a baby, Granger?"

" Oh fucking hell, give it a rest, will you?" Theo interferes.

"Oh no, I don't think" Malfoy says.

" Theo is right. We're wasting our time" she sniffs.

Malfoy sneers at her, before his eyes turn away from her.

She catches a tiny hint of a smile playing at his lips, and she wonders if he was riling her up on purpose.

Prat.

 **OooOooO**

" Hey, Granger, this looks like the tallest tree we've come across" Theo nudges her in the ribs.

Hermione glares at him, her eyes turning to study the tree.

It really was quite big.

"I suppose we can check" she mutters.

" Fuck! Granger, Theo was kidding" Malfoy chides.

Hermione ignores him and walks towards the tree. Carefully lifting her hand, she presses her palm firmly onto the tree trunk, her eyes drifting shut, waiting for a pull at her navel.

Nothing.

She hears some strange noise in the background, and her eyes snap open. She turns around and finds Malfoy and Theo red in the face, trying to contain their laughter.

"Ha ha ha. Very funny" she says dryly.

At this, Theo bends over and begins to shake so hard that she wonders if he's okay, but then a laugh so hard tears its way from his mouth that she has to bite her tongue to keep the string of swear words inside.

She turns her glare towards the blonde whose eyes are half their original size, nose scrunched up, and mouth crinkled at the corners as he, too, begins to laugh.

She tries very hard to contain herself, but the sound of Malfoy's laughter rings through her ears and warms her heart, and she's doubling over in laughter before she knows it.

"Granger," Theo pants. "Are you...are you laughing at yourself?"

Hermione sobers up a bit and straightens her back.

"I'm laughing because of you both. You laugh like donkeys" she huffs, her eyes watery.

" Good going, Granger" Malfoy smirks at her.

She rolls her eyes in response. "Let's get going"

"As you say, Madame," Theo snickers.

 **Day Eight**

"Is it just me, or does this tree look like Granger's head?" Malfoy asks.

"It does actually" Theo says somewhat lightly.

Hermione pinches his arm, and walks towards the tree. It looks thicker and bushier than any other trees they'd come across in the forest. It looks old- almost ancient.

There are some carvings on the bark and she reaches out to touch them. The dents are smoothed out now, and she narrows her eyes as she comes across a familiar sign drawn up in red.

The Hogwarts Crest.

"This is it" she whispers.

" See? Even Granger thinks so" Malfoy drawls.

"Oh hush, Malfoy! This is the answer to our clue!" She yells excitedly.

"Granger, Granger, I can assure you that McGonagall doesn't love you enough to plant a tree like you just so we could identify it easily"

Hermione scowls at him. "Use your mouth for something good, Malfoy. Try it, it feels wonderful"

Theo snickers beside them both, and Hermione's cheeks flame as Malfoy smirks.

"Been fantasising about my mouth, have you?"

"Jump off your high horse, Malfoy. All I want to do with your mouth is to shove a sock in it. Now enough of your bullshit" she says and grabs his hand in hers, her cheeks blooming red. Her other hand grabs Theo's and she presses their palms onto the Hogwarts Crest.

A sinking feeling pools in her stomach when nothing happens, but then a tugging replaces it, and she mouths a 'yes' as they disappear.

 **OooOooO**

The ground is tough and it seems to be moulding into her. She thinks she hears a thump, but then she feels it move, and then hears it grunt.

Her eyes snap open and then she's staring into the grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. She braces her hands on his chest to push herself up, and he winces.

"I'm not so heavy, Malfoy" she says before she can help herself.

"Granger," Theo calls out, his lips stretched into a smirk. "He's a man"

That's all he says, and it's enough because she understands- because it's pressing against her. Heat rises in her cheeks and neck and she tries her best not touch him there, but fate had other plans and she loses her balance and finds herself back on top of him.

" Fucking hell" Malfoy grunts out, and she doubts he's in any pain.

And suddenly, he rolls them over so he's on top of her. Her breath hitches in her throat, her eyes wide and mouth parted slightly. Malfoy licks his lips, and then he's standing up.

Theo lends her a hand, and she stands up.

"What the...?" She trails off, not knowing what to say. Because they are standing on a beach.

" My thoughts exactly" Theo says.

" Did the clue appear?" She asks.

An understanding passes between them, and they both turn their heads to look at the blond, who was indeed, busy reading the clue card all by himself.

" Malfoy!" She screeches.

" Granger" he mocks.

" We're supposed to be doing it together!" She snarls at him.

" Oh yeah? But it seems that I'm the only one who's intelligent enough."

"Oh shut up, Malfoy" she bites back.

" Who guessed the riddle?"

" I was a second away from guessing"

"-Me, that's right. And who found the tree? Again m-"

"Enough!" She yells, and snatches the clue from his hand.

I have to be broken down before I'm of use.

"Broken down?" Theo scowls as he pushes his head away from her shoulder.

Malfoy shrugs.

" Let's make a list of everything that breaks down" Hermione sits down on the sand, the waves crashing nearby, and folds her legs neatly underneath herself.

Malfoy and Theo just stare at her.

" What?"

"Are you fucking serious, Granger?" Malfoy asks incredulously.

" Of course I am" she scoffs.

"Granger, you do know that a million things can break, right?" Theo asks, his lips twitching at the corners.

"Yeah" she scowls, "But there aren't a million things here now, are there?"

"True, but I don't even see anything in here"

Hermione bites her lip, "There has to be something"

Theo huffs, and then his eyes light up.

"A heart!" He yells.

"What?" Malfoy scowls.

"Yeah, you know..when it breaks..you can use it properly?" He grimaces.

Hermione chuckles, "Oh Theo. Who broke your heart?"

Theo scoffs. "Nobody can break my heart, Granger. May be, we were meant to slay Malfoy to get his heart" his eyes glint.

" You mean Malfoy has had his heart broken?" Hermione asks lightly.

" He might, soon" Theo says seriously.

" Can you stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Malfoy snarls.

Hermione ignores him, her mind going wild about what Theo had just said.

"it can't be a heart because we'd have to kill for it" she says.

" Newsflash, Granger, animals have hearts too"

"And newsflash, Malfoy, you just contradicted your own statement. Animals do have hearts and killing them would be vile"

" May be it's another tree?" Theo says.

Malfoy and Hermione look at him with questioning eyes.

" Yeah, like cutting down a tree to use the wood for making parchments...?" He says uncertainly.

Hermione bites her lip.

"I don't think so, because it says that it has to be...so it must be broken down before its of use, and trees are useful anyway"

Malfoy pushes his tongue into his cheek, his eyes studying her.

" True".

Wait, what?

"A seashell?" Theo suggests.

Hermione chuckles, "I think you're tired, Theo. Come and take a nap" she pats the sand beside her, making it fly towards Malfoy.

"Bloody hell, Granger" Malfoy hisses and rubs his eyes.

Hermione thinks he looks cute.

" Don't we have a blanket or something? " Theo asks, grimacing slightly at the thought of laying down on sand.

" It's not a picnic" Hermione scoffs.

Theo hums and then drops down beside her.

"Do you mind if I..?" He points towards her legs neatly folded, his gaze fixated on Malfoy.

"What?" She asks.

" Lay my head on your lap, Granger. I don't fancy spitting sand for the next two weeks"

" Er sure" she stretches her legs and pats them invitingly.

From her peripheral vision, she sees Malfoy scowl into the air.

" Can I place a cushioning charm on you?" Theo asks, smiling teasingly.

Hermione huffs," deal with my bones, Theo. And quick, before I change my mind"

Theo huffs a laugh and lays his head in her lap, his eyes landing on Malfoy and staying there until they drift shut.

 **Day Nine**

Dragging their feet through the sand, Hermione comes to a sudden halt in front of a large rock.

Malfoy and Theo turn to look at her.

"What happened?" Theo asks.

"What if it's a seashell!?" Hermione almost yells as she looks behind her at the rolling waves.

"Seashell?" Malfoy scoffs.

" Yeah, Malfoy. Seashell. They have some uses after being opened."

"Exactly," he drawls. "Opened being the operational word here, Granger"

"I know it's a long shot, Malfoy! But what if the clue isn't as precise? Who knows, may be the Wizarding World breaks the seashells instead of opening them" she argues.

" If the clue isn't so precise, then a tree would be a more appropriate answer" Theo remarks.

Hermione huffs and throws her hands in the air in frustration. "Idiots" she mutters under her breath.

"Granger, Granger" Theo snickers.

Malfoy huffs out a breath, his eyes closing, as the wind ruffles his hair.

 ** _I know this chapter might be a bit off, so please excuse me. Also, please leave a review so I know what you guys thought xx_**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** You all are way too sweet. Thank you so much! I know I'm late, but I promise I'm trying x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Five**

\--

 **Day Ten**

"What is this?" Hermione cries out in frustration.

Malfoy _tsks_ behind her. "Tired already, Granger?" He drawls.

Hermione puffs out her cheeks and bites her tongue to control her temper.

"It's alright, Granger. We all have our days." Malfoy says, and she can _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

"Sod off, Malfoy" she snarls, her nails digging into her palms.

" Losing our temper, are we?" Theo interrupts.

" Keep Malfoy away from me, Theo!" She sneers into the air.

"For how long are you planning to keep him away?" All humour was wiped clean from his voice.

Hermione turns her head and finds Malfoy glaring daggers and swords at Theo who was trying to tell Malfoy something using sign language.

The air feels thicker and Hermione feels the need to dissipate some of the tension, so she snorts.

Theo turns towards her, a bemused expression on his face.

"So mature, you are, oh Granger" he snickers.

Hermione gives him a lopsided grin and without a warning, drops on the sand and crosses her legs at her ankles.

"What the fuck, Granger?" Malfoy snarls.

Hermione glares at him for his foul language and then leans back on the sand, using her bag as a pillow.

"Granger" Malfoy hisses.

" _Malfoy_ " she mimics.

" What are you doing, Granger?" Theo asks as he sits down beside her.

Hermione looks at Malfoy, as if telling him ' _This is how humans ask, ferret',_ and then turns towards Theo.

"Look, we're going to have to work this clue out like adults-" she looks pointedly towards the blonde, and continues "-and now is the time. So sit down" she looks up at Malfoy again.

Theo chuckles beside her, and drapes an arm over her shoulders.

" You're so intelligent, Granger" he smirks at her.

Hermione shifts a bit. " So I've been told"

"Hah!" Malfoy rolls his eyes. " He was mocking you, thickhead"

" Yeah well, he can mock me all he likes, Malfoy. He's my friend" she sniffs.

She feels Theo stiffen beside her as Malfoy narrows his gaze at him.

"Friend" he spits out as if the word is offending and disgusting.

" Yes, friend, Malfoy. But you wouldn't know about them, now would you?" She sneers at him.

Theo's arm drops from her shoulders and he shifts away. Hermione looks at him with curious eyes, but he seems intent on not making eye contact with her.

Malfoy blinks, and then walks away.

" Shit" Theo swears. " You shouldn't have said that, Granger. What am I? A baffoon? I'm his friend, Granger.. _.His_ friend before yours" he says and gets up from his place, walking towards where the blond had disappeared.

Hermione's lips begin to quiver.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Hermione, too, stood back up to follow her team mates.

 **OooOooO**

"Malfoy" she says, her voice unreasonably soft.

He neither moves nor indicates that he has heard her.

"Look I-"

"Go to sleep, Granger" he's cuts her off, and looks towards his right where Theo was sleeping on a conjured blanket.

"Listen to me, Malfoy" she insists.

" Granger" he warns.

" Just... _Please_?" The plea is sincere.

Malfoy huffs and Hermione knows she has won.

" I didn't mean...I mean..It was wrong of me to say that.." she mumbles, all the while fidgeting with the sleeves of her jumper.

" That?" He finally turns to looks at her, his grey eyes shinning like molten silver in the moonlight.

Her breath hitches in her throat, her heart picking up pace. " I...what I said.."

" You say a lot of things, Granger. What are you apologising for?"

Hermione bites her lower lip, " Hey! I don't say hurtful things all the time!"

"Don't you?" He asks and she finds herself hit with a ton of different emotions.

 _Do my words really hurt h-_

"Don't over think it, Granger. What's done is done. Go to sleep"

" I..but...I'm sorry"

A sudden something flashes across his eyes, but it's gone before she could assess what it was.

" Begging for my forgiveness, are you?" And the cockiness was back in his tone, the smirk returning to his lips.

Hermione finds herself smiling for no reason at all, her cheeks flaming under his heated gaze.

" Prat" she mutters and then catches his eyes.

The grey orbs shine with mirth, and she's mesmerised. She wants to remember him like this, so she takes her time, memorizing his face.

He cocks his head to one side.

"Goodnight, Granger" he says and covers a yawn with the back of his hand.

" Goodnight, Dr- Malfoy" she whispers before walking towards her spot.

 **Day Eleven**

"So, you lovebirds made up after I slept?" Theo inquires.

Hermione pulls on the strap of her bag, tugging it closer.

"We didn't make up, Theo, and we're certainly not lovebirds" she grimaces.

Theo smirks at her. " Whatever you say, Granger, but everybody is entitled to their own opinions, aren't they?"

" Yes, they are" she nods.

" So...you both made up?" He asks again.

" Theo" Malfoy scowls.

" Drakie" Theo bats his eyelashes.

A laugh tears through Hermione's throat.

"What's so funny, Grangeyy?" Theo asks in that same false, sweet voice.

" That is so Pansy Parkinson! " She laughs again.

Theo, too, bursts out laughing, but Malfoy's face remains stoic and void of any emotion.

Hermione immediately sobers up, her lips returning to their original place.

 _Of course. He's her boyfriend after all._

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she clears it. " Let's get going"

"Yeah" Theo pants. " By the way, Granger, that was Astoria Greengrass, not Pansy"

Hermione bites her lip and nods.

" Should I apologise again?" She whispers to Theo, motioning towards Malfoy who was behind them.

Theo raises a bemused brow at her.

"Why in Merlin's name would you apologise to him for something I did?"

Hermione blushes, " I mean...I kind of made fun of Pansy...what if he minded?"

Theo pretends to think for a moment.

"What I'm trying to understand here, Granger, is that why Draco would mind you making fun of Pans. unknowingly- that too? "

The wind ruffles her hair as she stops and turns to look at Theo.

"He's dating her, for Merlin's sake!"

And Theo doubles over in hysterical laughter, hands clutching

his stomach.

 **Day Twelve**

Looking at both the handsome sleeping forms of her team mates, Hermione quietly makes her way towards the sea. Shrugging off her jumper, she shimmies out of her trousers and shivers as the cold envelops her.

Making sure the boys were still asleep, she reaches behind her back and snaps her bra open before sliding it off her shoulders and placing it on the sand. She keeps her knickers on and begins to walk towards the deep blue sea. Waves crash against the shore and hit her ankles.

Hermione shivers, holds her breath, and then runs into the water, diving in. The water splashes around her, falling around in tiny diamond like droplets. She gasps for breath as she comes up again, and looks towards where Malfoy and Theo were, thankfully, still fast asleep.

Swimming towards the shore, she reaches into her bag and grabs a soap bar and a bottle of shampoo.

She lathers her hair, washes her face, and then runs her palms down her throat to her breasts and then to her stomach, oblivious to the pair of silver eyes watching her from a distance.

 **Day Thirteen**

"You look different, Granger" Malfoy remarks, his eyes roaming over her form.

Hermione crosses her arms over her chest, and raises her chin. " What do you mean, Malfoy?"

" Human...well, sort of...Cleaner" he smirks at her.

Hermione narrows her eyes suspiciously.

"Theo! " she calls out to the brown haired man walking in front of her.

"Granger!"

Placing her hands on her hips, she asks, "How do I look?"

His lips curve up into a smirk.

" Do you want me to answer honestly, or would you rather I sugarcoat? "

Hermione scowls at him, "Be honest, Theo"

Theo smirks, "Fine, you look like an over large sac of rice- you know the brown ones, right, Yeah those. And your hair...Salazar, forgive me for even calling it hair. It's a jungle, Granger- or better yet, a bird's nest. Actually, not even birds would surv-"

Hermione flips her bag and smacks him upside down on the head. " You. Idiot! I meant generally!" she practically yells at him and punctuates each word with a smack on his head.

" I was joking, Hermione!" he yells in defense.

Malfoy huffs out a laugh behind her, and she turns to look at him, her cheeks blooming red for an unknown reason.

"So, I look the same?" she turns to Theo once again.

" Of course you do! Why, you thought a week or two would have damaged your near non existent beauty?" he snickers.

Hermione shakes her head. " Thank you for the lovely compliments, Theo. You're too lovely for your own good."

She then turns towards Malfoy.

"Were you watching me, Malfoy?" she screeches.

Malfoy raises his hands in surrender.

" Me?"

"No, Lucius! Of course you, you prat!"

"I wasn't watching you, Granger"

"oh? But you were, Malfoy. If not then-"

"-I don't need to scar myself for life!"

"hah!" she yells triumphantly.

"How did you know what I was talking about, Malfoy, if you didn't see for yourself?"

Malfoy's expression is guarded.

" Woah! Easy there, Granger. I have no interest in watching you naked." and he has the guts to smirk at her.

Hermione stomps her foot, "You...you disgusting pervert! " she yells.

" Stop with that shrill voice of yours, Granger. You're scaring the damn birds." Theo says, lightly

"Shut up, Theo. And there are no birds here"

"Exactly" he says.

The boys high five each other and burst into laughter at an inside joke.

Hermione huffs and puffs before walking away, muttering something about gits and prats.

 **I hope you all liked it. Things are building up! Please review! xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** An early update. Wohooo! Finally managed to complete this chapter. I hope you guys will enjoy x

Also, someone just asked what the couple name for Theo and Luna is ¿

Leo, may be? :P

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Six**

 **Day Fourteen**

Eyelids fluttering, Hermione opens her eyes and blinks several times to adjust to the bright sunlight. Rolling onto her back, she turns towards her left and finds Theo sleeping with his mouth open and his legs tangled. A sort of laugh escapes her lips and she rolls her eyes.

Her smile disappears as she turns towards her right. Malfoy's face is inches away from her own. His pale skin even paler, his hair shining like silver and his expression of peace. He looks elegant, she thinks. Her eyes roam over his face as she memorises every curve and dip of his face.

Her heart is heavy in her chest, because this is the first time in two weeks that he has slept next to her. She feels _protected_ as she looks at the two men lying beside her. A smile graces her lips and she sits upright. Folding up her blanket, she grabs a water bottle, her tooth brush and a tube of toothpaste, and walks towards rocks.

As she gargles and spits the water out of her mouth, she feels the warm sun kissing her skin, and she knows that something has changed.

Perhaps in her own heart...

 **OooOooO**

"He's missing her," Malfoy says, pointing towards a dull looking Theo walking ahead of them.

"Who? Luna?" Hermione asks, her eyes narrowed due to curiosity.

Malfoy snorts," Yes, _loony_ ".

Hermione pinches his arm; hard. "She isn't loony!"

" Oh yeah? But I thought I heard that you introduced her to Potter as _Loony Lovegood?"_

Her cheeks flame as she prepares herself to look at the smug face of Malfoy, but instead, she finds him smirking- a friendly smirk.

 _Yes, something has definitely changed_.

"Who told you that?" She asks.

" You wouldn't believe me" he smirks again.

Her eyes narrow. " Who was it?" She demands.

" Longbottom" he smirks again.

" Ha ha very funny," she says dryly.

Malfoy shrugs his shoulders in return.

Hermione clears her throat and asks the only one thing on her mind.

" Don't you miss her?" Surprisingly, her voice doesn't waver.

Malfoy's brow hikes up as he asks,"who?"

"Parkinson," she says and looks ahead to avoid eye contact, her mouth dry.

Malfoy chuckles softly. A sound that warms her heart and kisses her soul.

 _Why were these feelings coming back?_

He looks at her then, his neck tilted towards her.

" I do...I do miss her actually."

The words hurt her more than they should have, and she forces a smile onto her face as she calls out Theo's name.

 **Day Fifteen**

"We've been walking for two freaking hours, Granger! Give it a rest before I faint," Theo yells.

"No," she pants. " I have a feeling we're close."

"Close to _what_ , for fuck's sake?!"

"The answer to our clue."

"Oh mighty Granger. Pray tell what the answer to our clue is!"

She turns her head to glare at him and he glares right back her. They're both surprised to hear Malfoy chuckling, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and his lips stretching into the most delici- _devilish_ smile.

" It's good to see that no one gets along with you, Granger" he smirks at her.

Hermione is even more surprised than him when she discovers the huge smile on her face.

Theo looks away awkwardly, his hands finding their way into the pockets of his pants.

Malfoy continues to look at her, the silver in his eyes shining extra bright. She finds her own eyes melting into the molten silver of his'. He swallows and his throat bobs up and down. Hermione's eyes travel from his eyes to his lips, and the spell is broken as a hen, out of nowhere, runs past them.

Theo yells out in triumph and takes off after the hen. Hermione and Malfoy look at each other, a knowing glint in both their eyes. Their lips stretch into matching grins as they, too, run after the hen.

After a series of hopping over fallen logs, and strings of curses, Theo finally catches the chicken. " You ugly beast, you fucking made me run miles after _you_?"

" Hey! Don't squeeze her, Theo. You'll hurt her," Hermione scolds.

Malfoy cranes his neck to look at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

" How do you know it's a she?" Theo asks and loosens his hold on the hen.

" Common sense, and also because she's carrying an egg."

" An egg? Really, Granger?"

"Yes, see- right there"

Hermione points towards the white shell peeking through red feathers.

Theo makes to grab it, but is instead pricked in the hand by the mother.

" Fuck," he swears and squeezes the hen's neck.

" Theo!" Hermione yells and carefully takes the hen away from him.

Placing her on the ground, she gently pets the hen on the head. Malfoy watches her with curious eyes and Theo constantly rolls his'.

The hen gently lowers the egg and places it on the ground, along with a few red feathers and Hermione's eyes widen.

This wasn't just any hen.

"She's a magical hen!" She exclaims.

" 10 points to Gryffindor", Malfoy drawls. "It lives in the Magical world, Granger, of course it's magical."

"She, Malfoy... she" she corrects him.

" May I keep this?" Hermione lifts up the egg with the feathers and asks the mother.

The hen nods it's approval and walks away, pricking Theo's leg on the way.

"What the actual fuck, Granger? Why did she walk away like a damn boss? Why did we let her go?" He pulls at his hair.

Hermione lifts up the egg, "Because she gave us the answer to our clue."

" An egg?" Malfoy asks.

" Yes!" Hermione grins.

"I have to be broken down before I'm of use- that's right! It's an egg!" Theo yells, his face lighting up.

" Ready?" Hermione asks.

" Yes!" Theo yells as he grabs his bag, and when he reaches out to grab Hermione's bag from the ground, Malfoy grabs it first and tosses it over his shoulder. Theo smirks privately and stands up straight. " Let's go!"

The three of them prepare themselves, but nothing happens as they remove the feathers and touch the shell of the egg.

"Fuck!" Theo swears.

Malfoy frowns and grabs the egg from her. Cracking the shell, his frown deepens as a silver mist emerges from the egg and envelopes them all.

When they open their eyes again, they're in a town.

The buildings were an amazing jumble of different styles: rickety wooden shops, marble and brick houses, huge stone churches. The different colours of the houses remind Hermione of her toy room as she scrambles to her feet and dusts herself off.

"Where the hell are we?" Theo asks as he, too, stands up.

Malfoy looks confused, his eyes narrowed.

Hermione thinks about telling them, but then stops when she realises who they were. Part of the sacred twenty eight standing in a muggle town. Well done, McGonagall.

" Where's the clue?" She asks, and Malfoy's eyes narrow even more- this time, at her.

Theo picks up the fallen envelope from the ground and holds it out for her. She rips it open and begins to read.

 ** _Has a tongue, but never talks. Has no legs, but sometimes walks._**

" What would have a tongue and never talk, for fuck's sake? " Malfoy curses.

" Is that you, Drakie?" Theo teases.

Hermione laughs, the sound tickles Malfoy's ears and he turns around to face her.

She sobers up immediately, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

Theo yelps and turns around. " What the fuck is that?" He asks, pointing towards a donkey far away.

Hermione looks confusedly at the poor animal. " It's a donkey, Theo".

" What?" Theo straight out yells.

Malfoy is staring at her too.

"A donkey," she confirms with a nod of her head.

" Shove it, Granger. We all know donkeys are fictional animals, " Malfoy drawls.

" What? No, donkeys are real." She fires back, now genuinely confused.

" No, they cannot be real!" Theo screeches.

" Why are you yelling, Theo?" She yells back.

" Because I've freaking wanted a donkey since I was seven and my parents always said that donkeys didn't exist and now it's fucking standing in front of me!" He yells again.

" But donkeys are real. It's right in front of you" She argues.

" Have you ever seen a donkey in the Wizarding World?- apart from weaselbee, that is" Malfoy interjects.

Hermione roles her eyes at his silly attempt at humour and ponders upon his question.

"No, I haven't. "

Realisation dawns on Malfoy's face.

"This is the muggle world," he exhales.

Theo's eyes, that were fixated on the donkey, now widen.

" Muggle world?" He repeats.

Hermione swallows.

" Yes, this is a muggle town," she says, thanking God when her voice remains stable.

She really didn't want them to freak out and go back to the prejudiced gits that they were.

"Then where the fuck are the muggles?" Theo asks.

Hermione raises her wrist and takes a look at her watch. It was 2 in the morning, and here they were, screaming like banshees.

"It's 2 am, Theo. They're all probably asleep"

" You knew," Malfoy accuses.

Hermione looks at him then, her eyebrows rising in a silent question.

"You knew we were sent to a muggle town as soon as you opened your eyes," his eyes narrow, the silver glinting brighter than it ever has- at least that's what she thinks.

" Of course I knew," she feigns nonchalance, waving her hand dismissively.

" Then why didn't you tell Theo when he asked you where we were?"

Damn you, Malfoy.

Hermione takes a deep breath, preparing to fire a lie, but Malfoy interrupts her," Don't fucking lie to me, Granger"

And she's suddenly scared. Was she that readable?

" Look, I just didn't want you to freak out" She explains.

And his question throws her off as he asks,"me or _us_?" He points towards Theo.

"Mainly you" She leans away from him.

His jaw clenches and he looks away.

She feels bad then, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Theo is still staring at the donkey with wonder in his eyes.

 **Day Sixteen**

Rolling onto her side, Hermione covers a yawn as she tries to open her eyes. They had fallen asleep on the pavement, in their conjured sleeping bags. Blinking away the sleep, she finally opens her eyes and stifles a gasp as she sits upright.

All sorts of types of people are standing around them, shielding them from the morning sun. She chances a glance towards the boys, and thankfully, they're asleep.

"Are you alright, dears?" An old woman steps up from the crowd, her face kind.

Hermione rubs her eyes. " Er...we got lost."

The old woman smiles at her and motions a boy forward.

He's tall and slim, she notices, as he steps into view. His skin is soft beige, kissed by the sun. His shoulders are broad, his hair brown and messy. His cheekbones are sharp and defined, his chin pointy. He's handsome.

"Please take them to the guesthouse, Xavier" the old woman says.

Xavier smiles at her and she finds herself smiling back.

Just then, "AHHHHH!!" Theo yells. "Muggles. Fucking muggles and so many of them. Drake they're going to kill us!" He begins to shake Malfoy who sits upright and pulls out his wand, pointing it at the crowd.

" Theo, Malfoy!" She warns.

They both turn their eyes on her, both promising painful revenge.

" Oh dearie, what's that? A piece of wood?" A man says with a laugh.

"I'll fucking-" Theo begins but Hermione cuts him off. " Theo!"

" Granger" Malfoy hisses.

" Please show us the guesthouse, Xavier" she requests the confused boy.

He nods. " follow me," he says.

Hermione glares at Malfoy and Theo, silently assuring them that she knew what she was doing.

The three of them follow the handsome lad and walk into a tiny house. The dust almost chokes Hermione as she inhales deeply, expecting it to smell like home.

" We'll take it from here, thank you" she says.

Xavier nods and leaves the house, clicking the door shut.

"What the fuck was that? Would you mind explaining it to us?"

She sighs as she drops down on the couch. " Listen, I woke up to that crowd. I did not, by any means, invite them to look at the sleeping trio. We were sleeping on the pavement for God's sake! They were meant to come and check on us."

" Fucking weird tosser" Malfoy grumbles.

" Excuse me?" She asks incredulously.

" They just helped us and you're cursing them?"

"We didn't fucking ask for their help!" He replies hotly.

" Oh really? Newsflash, Malfoy, these muggles have more feelings than you'll ever do. At least they didn't kill us like you would have, had they stumbled upon your mighty manor."

Malfoy's face turns red from rage.

" Now you're taking it too far, Granger" Theo interrupts.

" I'm taking it far? Look at the gall of him to speak shit about them just because they're muggles!"

"You fucking shut your mouth right now, Granger" Malfoy hisses

"And what if I dont? Because I'm done with your Pureblood crap!"

" Pureblood?" He snarls.

" Granger," Theo warns.

"Why don't you get it, Malfoy? We're all the same! They just don't have magic, but they do have souls! "

"Get out of my face, Granger," he sneers at her.

" No, I will not, " she sniffs. "At least not till you admit that you're wrong."

"I didn't say shit to you. I didn't even mention blood. You brought it up"

"Yes, because you were being rude to Xavier- and that too just because he's a muggle!"

" Fucking Xavier" he snarls, grabs his bag and walks towards the room, farthest from where she standing.

"You took it too far, Granger, " Theo sighs.

Hermione snorts in response and opens her mouth to speak, but Theo cuts her off.

"No- don't speak. Try to understand, Granger. We're not used to waking up to a crowd of people dressed in weird clothes and staring down at us. We freaked out! That's it!" He explains. "It's not about their blood, Granger. It's not about anyone's blood anymore. Haven't you figured that out after living with us for two weeks?" He runs a hand through his hair.

Hermione is struck speechless. "Then...then why did he react so rudely towards Xavier?"

Theo opens his mouth to speak, but then shuts it tight, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"That's for you to figure out, Granger," he says before he leaves her alone with her thoughts.

 **Tadaaa. Please leave a review! I love reading your opinions x**

 **P.s someone pointed out "yule ball in October?" I'm sorry, that's what happens when the writer is not getting enough sleep :P It was just a ball before the tournament, not the yule ball. Yule ball will come up shortly ;) Thank you for pointing out x**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thank you all for being so amazing! Reviews really do feed the muse :) To the darling who asked when this story is updated, even I don't know :P But once a week for sure x

Life has been a bit too busy these days. I'm trying my best to write as much as I can, but I don't want to rush things and end up writing something completely different from what I originally had in mind. Thank you all for your patience x

P.s expect updates on weekends ;)

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Day Seventeen**

Malfoy comes out of the room, his bag thrown over his shoulder, his shoe laces tied.

" Let's go," he announces.

" Where?" She asks.

Theo looks between both of them, his expression stoic.

Malfoy's jaw twitches. " Theo, where's the clue card?" He ignores her.

Her nostrils flare. " I have the clue card. _Now_ , where are you going?"

Malfoy looks at Theo as he answers. " _We_ are going, Granger. Not just me"

She narrows her eyes at them both.

"You cannot leave me alone. That's against the rules! "

He looks at her then, his eyes swirling with different emotions before the mask is back on. "I never said anything about leaving you alone," he says.

She swallows.

"Then where are we going?"

"This isn't a fucking picnic, Granger. We can't stay here."

"But then where will we go?"

"We'll walk." He says.

Theo's brow hikes up.

" _Walk_?" She asks incredulously.

"Yes" Malfoy looks at her, his brow rising, daring her to argue.

But she's Hermione Granger.

"You can't be serious, Malfoy"

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

"Theo," She helplessly turns towards the brown haired man.

Theo raises his hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me."

Hermione huffs. "Please think logically, Malfoy. We have no idea as to what the clue points towards!"

Malfoy doesn't look at her and his shoulders slump a bit. Just a tiny bit.

And she knows she has won.

Knowing not to push her luck, She silently makes her way over to the four seater dinning table, and pulls out the clue card from her bag.

Theo whistles as he slides into the chair beside her. They both turn to look at Malfoy, inviting him silently.

"Fuck this," the blond says as he drops his bag and makes his way over to them. A flutter of her heart, and he sits down on the chair opposite to her own.

"Okay. " Theo claps his hands together.

"Lets go over the clue again, shall we?"

Hermione slides the clue card over to him and he clears his throat as he begins to read.

"Has a tongue but never talks, has no legs but sometimes walks"

Hermione bites her lower lip.

"I honestly don't know what the stupid Ministry was thinking." Theo snarls.

Malfoy drums his fingers against the hard wood of the table, his fingers contrasti- Hermione tears her gaze away from his long, slender fingers and fixes it on Theo's face.

Theo smirks at her as if he knows and she shakes her head at him, glaring half heartedly.

 **OOO**

It is late at night when there is a knock on the door and the three of them sit upright, startled.

Malfoy grabs his wand, but Hermione lays her hand on his forearm, shocking them both into silence. Cheeks blooming red, she pulls her hand away and stands up. "I'll get it"

She opens the door and finds Xavier standing with a tray of food in his hands.

"Hello," she greets.

"Hey. " he responds with a smile.

Surprising her, Malfoy comes and stands next to her, raising his brows in a silent question.

"I brought food," Xavier says and holds the tray up for emphasis.

A twitch in his jaw, and Malfoy is holding his hands out, taking the tray from the handsome lad.

Hermione bites the insides of her cheeks and then speaks before she can even rethink her words.

"Why don't you join us?"

Xavier looks small and frightened as he looks at Malfoy before turning to her. "Me?" He asks, disbelief etched onto his face.

"Yes," she says and holds the door open for him, pointedly ignoring Malfoy's stare burning holes in her head.

"Hey, man." Theo waves at Xavier.

He looks a bit shy as he waves back. Theo stifles a laugh with the back of his hand.

The four of them sit on the dinning table, Malfoy beside Hermione. The wood scrapes against the floor as Hermione pulls her chair forward.

"So.." Theo begins, dissipating some of the tension. "Sorry about yesterday... we got scared...Thought you were snatchers"

"Please, don't apologise. I understand."

Theo smirks at him instead of smiling- typical Slytherin.

Hermione lifts the cloth covering the tray and her eyes go wide, her stomach growling.

"Fish and chips!" She yells before she dives in, the men staring at her in amusement.

 **OOO**

The night is cold. Wind slapping her cheeks, she wraps her scarf around her neck. Her eyes sting and she sniffs as the cold envelopes her and chills her bones. The door clicks open behind her, and she turns around to see Theo standing with a blanket wrapped around himself.

He holds out a warm cloak for her and she takes it with a grateful smile.

"Don't stay up too late, Granger." He drawls.

Hermione shakes her head. "Goodnight, Theo"

"Night, bookworm" he says, his tone light, and clicks the door shut as he walks in.

Hermione wears the cloak, burying her chin in the warmth of it.

It doesn't smell like Theo, she realises. Because it smells like... _aftershave_.

"Hello there" Xavier comes and stands next to her.

"Hi" Hermione smiles at him.

"What are you doing out here? It's too cold" he rubs his hands together.

"Just wanted some fresh air" she sighs.

"I can imagine." He huffs out a laugh.

"What do you mean?" She asks, her brows knitting together.

"Oh, nothing. Goodnight Ms" He says and leaves without another word.

 **Day Eighteen**

"Tongue...but never talks...Tongue...never talks" Hermione murmurs to herself as she paces around in the tiny lounge.

"Has no legs but sometimes walks" Theo enters the lounge, smirking at her.

"Morning" she greets him dully.

"Good morning, Granger. You look like shite."

Hermione snorts.

"Long night?"

"No, It's...I just want to figure this clue out." She sighs.

"Its been two days...only" Theo adds.

"I know...but I can't help but feel like-"

"Morning" Malfoy mumbles.

Her breath hitches in her throat,her lips going dry.

Malfoy is dressed in his transfigured night clothes, his hair messy and tousled. His eyes are narrowed and he looks absolutely delicious.

 _Shut up_.

She begins to walk towards the kitchen and almost groans when Malfoy follows her in. She stands next to the fridge, pulling the door open and rummaging for Merlin knows what. Her breath catches in her throat when he reaches above her head to open the freezer, his chest pressed against her back. And Merlin! she swears she has never felt something as satisfying as Malfoy's chest against her back.

He pulls out his frozen yogurt, and then he's pulling away.

She freezes, because she can smell aftershave. Very faint, but definitely aftershave.

He walks out of the kitchen, but the smell of him lingers.

 _Aftershave_.

 **OOO**

Her day is ruined, she thinks, as she draws lazy circles on her blanket, crinkling it. She wants to throw herself off a cliff. She had known for a long time that she had a crush on, Godric forgive her, Malfoy. But, not even in her wildest dreams did she think that it was more than that.

Her amortentia potion smelled like him. Like him. How could that have happened? When did aftershave replace spearmint toothpaste? She was sure she didn't love him. Absolutely not. Then why did her potion smell like him?

Groaning into her hands, she pulled at her hair and cursed herself until sleep welcomed her.

 **Day Nineteen**

"I'm sick of staying inside this tiny house" Theo whines as he leans back in his chair, his feet coming up to rest on the table.

"Then why are you inside? You should go out and explore the town." Hermione says and glares at him until he puts his feet back on the ground.

She wipes the table with a tissue and turns around to look at him.

His lips are quirked up at the corners.

"This is a muggle town, Granger. I don't know shite about it"

"Fine, then I'll come with you" she offers.

"Alright, but I'm not going anywhere without Drake."

Hermione bites her lower lip.

"Sure. Meet me here after 10 minutes"

Theo bows his head at her command and chuckles as he walks past her.

Hermione dashes towards her room and grabs the thick warm cloak that smells like him. A sudden thought occurs to her, but she shakes it off, labelling it a big fat IMPOSSIBLE.

Malfoy would never give his cloak to her. Never.

She pulls the cloak around her shoulders and pockets her wand. Smoothing her hands over her unruly mass of hair, she walks out of the door.

Theo and Malfoy are talking in hushed tones as she enters. Malfoy glares at Theo and then scowls as the brown haired man smirks.

Hermione clears her throat to make her presence known and they both straighten up.

"Lets go", she waves her hand towards the door and walks in front of them.

"Bossy little know-it-all," Theo teases her and she smiles at the name because it brings back so many memories.

 **OOO**

Hermione rubs her arms as the cold envelopes her and follows Theo as he explores the muggle town, or rather, searches for the donkey.

"Lets go back, Theo. It's getting way too cold." She shivers.

Theo looks behind her, towards Malfoy, and silently communicates with him.

"Fine, but only after I have something to eat. I'm sick of fruit and dairy."

Hermione puffs out her red cheeks and then deflates them. "Fine"

Theo smirks at her. "Never asked for your permission, Granger"

Hermione rolls her eyes at him. "There's a McDonald's around that corner" she points.

"There's a what?" Theo asks.

"Its a fast-food restaurant."

"How do you know it's there?" He asks, squinting at her.

Hermione squeezes her eyes shut and then open them wide. "Because of that sign, Theo. Do you see it? Or do you want me to hoist you up so you could get a better view?"

Theo looks at the 'M' sign and then turns to look at Granger. "You'd do that for me?" He smiles at her, all innocent and dreamy.

 _Luna_.

Hermione says nothing as they reach the entrance. Theo jumps as the door opens for them.

"It's not muggle, Granger. They're using magic" Theo whispers in her ear.

Hermione chuckles lightly. "No, Theo. This is technology"

"Techno- _what?_ You know what, just forget it"

She shakes her head and turns to look at the blond who hasn't spoken a word since that little "Morning". He's looking around, his eyes, as usual, covering all of his emotions. He looks slightly out of place in his black pants and a slytherin sweater.

She looks at Theo then. He looks oddly happy to be here. Even he's wearing black pants, but his jumper is blue (Ravenclaw) as it peeks through the neck of his cloak.

She's wearing two cloaks. Theo is wearing one. And Malfoy...He's wearing none. The only logical solution in her head makes her want to bury herself underground.

"Malfoy" she turns around completely.

He raises his brows in a silent question.

"Are you...Are you cold?" She asks.

Malfoy swallows, his eyes locked onto hers.

Finally, he shakes his head and leans in towards her. She stops breathing as his breath fans her ear. "I'm a wizard, Granger. I know how to cast a warming charm"

Her cheeks flame as she looks down at hersf wearing two freaking cloaks. Of course! A warming charm...

When she looks up, she finds him smirking.

"Oi, Granger. I'm hungry" she could've killed Theo for ruining her silly little moment.

"Right" she says as she walks towards the cashier.

"Chicken, fish or beef," she asks them both.

"Fish!" Theo says happily.

"Beef" comes from Malfoy.

"May I have two fish fillet combos and one beef combo, please?"...

 **OOO**

Her cheeks are turning a beetroot red colour, face flushing. Theo moans yet again as he takes another bite of his burger. Malfoy is sitting across from her, his eyes fixed upon her face, and his lips twitching- he's trying not to smirk at her, but almost failing. Almost.

Merlin, she wants to strangle Theo for making such sounds...that remind Hermione horribly of...- she shudders and shakes her head.

Grabbing a sachet of ketchup, she smacks it on Theo's forehead. His eyes shoot open and he stares at her, angrily.

"Wha?" He growls with a mouthful.

"Will you stop moaning?!" She leans in and hisses.

Malfoy huffs out a laugh and her cheeks become even more red, if that was even possible.

Several moans and groans later, the trio finally exit McDonald's and walk towards a cafè. Hermione understands Theo's reluctance of going back... he really wants to see another donkey.

Hermione stiffles her laugh with the back of her hand and looks around. This town was so full of life, she could've cried. She doesn't remember the last time she was around so many colours.

Theo insists to order for himself, and Hermione has no option but to stand next to him. While he orders, her eyes stray towards the blond standing near the entrance, and her jaw twitches as a beautiful girl with long, black hair comes into her view and stands next to him.

Hermione's nostrils flare as the girl greets _her man_ with a smile.

Well, _fuck_!

 ** _Please don't forget to let me know what you thought. I know there might be a lot of grammatical errors, but my schedule is way too tight these days for proof reading. Hopefully I will find a beta very soon :P Please review!!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hello, beautiful people! First of all, thank you so much to the wonderful reviewer (Guest) [you know who you are :)] for those lovely words xoxo

I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story! Secondly, I'd appreciate if you guys will let me know how you think this story is going to progress ;) I'd love to know x

Now onto the chapter!

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Eight**

Her frustration is short lived as Malfoy doesn't even spare a glance towards the black haired beauty.

"Got it" Theo snaps his fingers in front of her eyes, and holds up his steaming cup of mocha.

His eyes follow her gaze of focus and he frowns. "Who th'fuck is that?"

Hermione shurgs a shoulder in response.

"Well, let's go and find out" he says and begins to walk towards the entrance. Hermione follows him, her eyes fixed on the girl.

"Drake," Theo says as he reaches Malfoy.

Malfoy looks at him, his face void of any emotion. "Done? Let's go"

"Yes-" Theo begins, but is cut short when the girl speaks up.

"Drake... Such an unsual name, _Drake_ " she purrs and Hermione's nostrils flare.She wants to puke, because this is disgusting.

Surprisingly, Malfoy pays her no heed and reaches for the door handle.

The girl lays her hand on his forearm, and Hermione inaudibly gasps, her eyes narrowing and flaming.

Malfoy shrugs it off and fixes the girl with a glare, his jaw set.

She leans in and whispers something in his ear, Hermione's heart thuds outside her chest as she observes them with patience she didn't know she had.

The girl's hand inches towards his neck, sliding along his chest.

Unable to take it anymore, Hermione pinches the bridge of her nose and throws caution to the wind.

She grabs the ugly hand that is resting on Malfoy's shoulder and flings it off. Stepping up beside him, Hermione raises her chin defiantly and grabs Malfoy's arm, pulling him away from the girl.

He gives her a funny look which she chooses to ignore, and instead, focuses her gaze on the girl in front of them.

"Excuse me?" The girl asks, her voice low and ugly and Hermione wants to rip her vocal chords out.

"Excused," she says and pushes past her towards the exit, her hand still clutching tightly onto Malfoy's arm.

"Granger" Malfoy says her name, but she ignores him because they have to get out of here. She has to get away from that...from that...urgh.

" _Granger_ " he emphasises and she stops. Turning towards him, she looks at him in the eye, her head held too high.

"Theo," is all he says, and her eyes widen, cheeks flaming hot. Oh God, she had completely forgotten about the other man.

"Theo," she breathes and then drops Malfoy's arm, awkwardly fiddling with her hands.

"Oi, you fucking tossers!" Theo comes jogging towards them and Hermione releases a breath.

"What were you thinking? Leaving me alone with...with _that_ " he shudders.

Malfoy huffs out a laugh and shakes his head.

Hermione and Theo look at him confusedly.

"What?" Theo asks.

"What?" The blond asks in return.

"Why did you laugh?"

Malfoy smirks in response. "Later" he says and Hermione grumbles under her breath.

"What was that, Granger?" Malfoy asks.

"What- Oh, _er_ nothing."

"So you were speaking to yourself, again." He smirks at her again and her eyes narrow disbelievingly, because he suddenly looks way happier and in a much better mood than she's seen him in the past few days.

"What did the girl want, Malfoy?" She blurts out the question before she can help it.

Malfoy sticks his tongue in his right cheek, "Nothing that concerns you, Granger"

Hermione rolls her eyes. "But still...I mean was it important?" She asks, and then curses herself for her stupidity.

"Very" he says.

"Lets continue this discussion later, shall we? It's fucking cold out here" Theo says while sipping his mocha.

Hermione snatches the mug from him and takes a sip. Malfoy looks at her in amusement and she just cannot help herself as she says: "she's a muggle, Malfoy"

Theo takes the mug from her, all the while shaking his head at her statement.

"I know" he says.

Hermione almost pouts.

 _What the hell did that...bitch want?_

"So you-"

"Listen, Granger. Im saying this once, I don't believe in pure-blood supremacy anymore. Alright?"

"What- No,...I mean _you...how_?"

"War teaches us a lot of things, Granger" that's all he says and then he's walking. Hermione looks at Theo and motions him to follow. "Where are we going, Malfoy?" She asks.

"To meet Claudia" he says calmly.

"Who Claudia?" She asks.

"The one who we just met"

"What?" She blanches and stops mid-stride

Malfoy rolls his eyes. "Stop being such a drama queen, Granger. We're going to the guesthouse, of course"

"Oh" she bites her lower lip.

Malfoy shakes his head at her.

And then before she can help herself, "Who's Claudia?"

Theo snickers behind them and she glares at him.

Malfoy just looks at her, a never-seen-before look in his eyes. She feels naked under his heated gaze, but says nothing as he continues to look at her through hooded eyes, with Theo's laughter ringing in the background.

 **Day Twenty**

Hermione sits upright in her bed, her breath coming out as pants. She lays a hand on her forehead and gulps down the rising bile. She had dreamt of the war and Merlin, it had felt so real. Feeling the approaching attack, she reaches for her bag, and rummages through it until her nails clink against glass. She pulls out the calming draught and swallows a spoonful. It leaves an awfully bitter taste in her mouth and her lips twist in distaste.

The room is still dark, so it's night. She flings the covers off, slips her slippers on, and walks towards the bathroom. She reaches for the door handle, but stops when she hears a grunt from the other side of the door.

She freezes.

Leaning in a bit closer, she strains her ears and there it is; another grunt.

And then a pant.

Her cheeks flame and she forgets about her dream for a while as she imagines what Malfoy is doing in the bathroom at this hour, grunting.

She shudders as a chill runs up her spine and then crinkles her nose in disgust at her own self. She really had it bad for him. What? _No_!

Malfoy groans out loud and Hermione bites her lips, wondering why the bloody hell was she still standing here. She should leave. _Go. Just go_.

But, she stays.

She then hears him run the tap, the sound of running water welcome to her ears that are still ringing with grunts and pants.

And then the tap is turned off, and Hermione freezes.

The door clicks open and Malfoy steps out, clad in his silver and green pyjamas. His hair looks horribly messy and his face is flushed.

Hermione bites the insides of her cheeks as Malfoy lays his eyes on her.

He seems to be turning more red by the second, so she decides to speak up before he turns into a tomato.

"Had to use the loo... I just came." And she could've slapped herself.

Malfoy squints at her, his eyes hooded and searching. And then, he smirks.

"Its all yours, Granger," he says as he steps out of the bathroom, only to have her step in at the same time.

" _Oof_ " Hermione stumbles a step back and Malfoy's arm steadies her as she sways on her feet. She looks up and finds herself drowning in the depths of his eyes. That beautiful molten silver mixed with blues and greys, like the ocean and the waves. His lashes are long and beautiful, and casting a shadow on his cheekbones.

Her gaze drops to his lips, and she swallows involuntarily, because they're pink and soft, and _so_ so welcoming.

She thinks they're moving, and that's when she snaps out of it. Malfoy was talking to her, _fuck_!

"Granger?" He says.

Hermione steps back, his arm dropping to his side. "I-" she breathes out.

Malfoy looks at her with a raised brow, his eyes telling her to continue.

"I really need to pee" she declares and pushes past him, enters the bathroom, clicks the door shut, and finally releases the breath that she has been holding.

 **OOO**

The first thing Hermione hears upon waking up is Theo yelling:

"We fucking have to figure this clue out! We need to fucking get done with it!"

"Morning, sunshine. Aren't you a bit too cheery this morning?" She hears Malfoy drawl, and pictures the half frown-half scowl on his face.

"Fuck, I can't!" Theo yells.

Hermione enters and watches Theo as he pulls at his hair. Hard.

"Theo!" She scolds, but he pays no attention to her.

His back is shaking and then suddenly, Malfoy is by his side, holding him steady.

"Get a fucking grip, Theo" he hisses.

Theo swats his hands away and drops down on the couch. That's when Hermione looks at his tear-stricken face.

"Theo," she says softly and approaches him. Malfoy moves out of the way, and she almost forgets the last night's incident. Almost.

"Theo" she places her hand on his shoulder, and gasps as a sob rips through his throat and fresh tears leak out of his eyes. He curls upon himself, hiding his face, and covers his mouth with his hands as heart wrenching sobs tear through him.

Hermione inhales shakily, not knowing what to do. She looks at Malfoy, and he's already watching her.

She licks her chapped lips, and Malfoy asks: "Coffee?"

She is too shaken to give the gesture much thought, so she nods. Malfoy walks past her and she closes her eyes to calm herself. Albeit the hiccuping had subsided, Theo was still sobbing.

His hair was wet with sweat, his forehead shining. Just then, she hears her name being called.

"Granger" Malfoy calls, and she wonders why he isn't comforting Theo.

Hermione bites her lower lip and walks towards him. He places her coffee on the counter and hops onto a barstool. Hermione does the same, all the while not making eye contact with him.

The silence stretches and they both sip their coffees quietly, both equally afraid that they will start slurping.

Unable to take it anymore, Hermione speaks: "So, are you going to tell me what that was?"

Malfoy rubs a hand over his eyes and then looks at her.

"It's...I don't think I'm in the position to tell you, Granger" he sighs.

"And why not?"

"Because it's up to Theo if he wants to share it with you or not"

"Im his friend, too, Malfoy. I'm sure he wouldn't mind"

Malfoy rolls his eyes. "Always have to know everything, don't you, Granger?"

A retort is sitting at the tip of her tongue, but then she realises that his words hadn't held any malice. It was almost _teasing_.

"Yes, now enlighten me"

Malfoy seems to think for a moment, his tongue pressing into his cheeks.

"War" is all he says.

Hermione squints at him, not cathing his meaning.

"The war, Granger." He sighs, and shifts uncomfortably on the stool, his gaze landing on his left forearm, covered by his green jumper.

Understanding dawns on Hermione's face and suddenly, she understands what he's going through.

"It always finds a way back, doesn't it?" She says, quietly.

Malfoy nods, not meeting her eyes.

"Even...even you?" She asks, and he whips his head up to glare at her.

A twitch in his jaw is his response.

"I mean...you" she trails off, not knowing what to say to the man who had fought against them.

Sure, the Malfoys had defected at the last moment, but they still hadn't fought for their side. For the right side.

"I know I fucking deserved it, Granger. No need to give me that look" he snarls at her.

Hermione frowns, her brows knitting together. "I never said that"

"It's written all over your face, Granger"

"I...but...Nobody deserved anything that happened to them, Malfoy" she stutters.

Malfoy's brow hikes up and he looks at her in a way that makes her want to melt.

"Didn't they?" He sneers, then.

And she huffs out a breath.

"No, they didn't."

"How fucking noble, Granger" he sneers.

"Its not about being noble, Malfoy. It's about being human" she argues.

"You think I didn't deserve all _that_?" He asks.

"What _that_?"

"My mother dying because she saved fucking Potter, and my father rotting away in Azkaban when he only did what he had to in order to protect his family?"

Hermione swallows, because she can read his eyes now. He suddenly seems like an open book to her, revealing it's secrets one by one. His eyes are pleading for her to say _No, you did not deserve that_ , but his face is masking it well.

So she does what she thinks is right,and says it out loud before she can stop herself. "No, Draco. You didn't deserve it"

His name rolls off her tongue like smooth silk and she looks away from his piercing stare. His inhale is sharp through his nose, a sort of hissing sound. And before she could make the situation any more awkward, she hops off the barstool and exits the kitchen, her heart heavy and hammering inside her chest.

 ** _Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review because your words motivate me a lot :) Until next Sunday x_**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I'm living for your reviews! They make my day.

p.s Can anybody answer the clue for them? ;)

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Nine**

Theo is still curled up on the couch when Hermione enters the lounge after calming her heart. His hair is messy and all over his face, his eyes screwed shut, lips quivering slightly. He was asleep.

Hermione carefully approaches him, and brushes his hair out of his face. Her eyes land on his chest because there's something shining, hanging from his neck. Upon closer inspection, she finds that it's the necklace Luna always used to wear, and she can't help the smile that tugs at her lips. Theo could be such a sap sometimes.

She straightens up, and stiffles a gasp as her eyes connect with Malfoy's. He's staring at her. _Staring_. There's anger in his eyes, like fire dancing on ice.

She furrows her brows, raises her chin, and pushes past him, bumping her shoulder with his, and inhaling his scent, as she walks towards her room.

 **Day Twenty One**

"Hi," Theo says sheepishly as he drops down on the floor beside her, in front of the fireplace.

Hermione rubs her hands and looks at him with a small smile.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" She asks softly, and sips her tea.

He rubs the back of his neck and looks at her with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Fine, thank you"

Hermione nods and looks at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I suppose you want to know what happened?" He asks.

"It was a panic attack, I know" she states, her eyes soft.

Just then, the door opens and Malfoy steps out of his room. He eyes them both warily, before he makes his way towards them and sits down on the ground beside Theo.

"Having a heart-to-heart with the Gryffindor Princess?" He asks Theo.

Hermione rolls her eyes at him.

"Not really. Granger here just told me that she knew I had a panic attack.." Theo's brows rise in a silent question.

Malfoy lifts a hand up in surrender. "I didn't tell her what she didn't have to know"

"Hey! I'm still here" Hermione scowls at the boys.

"Why, thank you for stating the obvious, Granger" Malfoy drawls.

Hermione huffs in response and turns towards Theo. "I recognise a panic attack when I see one" she says.

"A healer, are you?" Theo jokes.

"No," she says quietly. "Its because I have them too"

"Oh" Theo says, the smile falling from his lips.

Malfoy looks at her, then, his eyes lingering on her face.

"I had one...Just the night before" she admits, waiting for Malfoy to laugh it off and throw it at her face, but instead, he stiffens.

"That's when I had it" Theo says.

Hermione bites her lower lip.

"What about you, Drake?" He asks Malfoy, who stiffens up even more before deflating like a balloon.

His jaw clenches and he looks away from her face, his cheeks colouring slightly. "I... _Oh fucking hell._ I did too"

Hermione's eyes widen and she looks at him, trying to catch his eyes, but he makes a point to not look at her.

"That's...weird" Theo muses.

Hermione nods her assent and then...

"How come you both didn't notice each other's attacks?" She asks.

"He saw mine. " Theo turns to Malfoy, then. "When did you have it, Draco? "

Malfoy scowls into the air, his nose scrunching upwards. "I went to the bathroom as soon I felt it coming"

And Hermione stiffens. _Oh God. Oh God. And she had been thinking that he was...he was getting himself off. Oh God!_ "Is that when you...when I?" She stutters.

Malfoy doesn't look at her when he says," Yes"

"Oh, but I thought you were-" she slams a palm over her mouth and snaps her lips shut. Theo and Malfoy look at her with matching smirks. "Yes, you thought I was?" Malfoy's smirk widens when Hermione's cheeks and neck bloom red.

"Oh bloody hell! Granger thought you were wanking, bro" Theo whistles.

Malfoy keeps smirking at her, but she'd have to blind to not notice the tinge of red that appears on his cheeks.

"Oh shut up!" She groans. "He was in there panting and grunting and making- _Lord_ , I just didn't think he was having a panic attack, for Merlin's sake!"

Theo falls back, laughing, arms flailing about.

"Oh, but I thought you said you had just come?" Malfoy asks.

Oh, he was so enjoying this.

Hermione flushes from head to toe. Grabbing two cushions from the couch behind her, she hurls them at the boys and stands up, muttering about insolent men. Malfoy and Theo keep laughing, and she finds herself smiling on the way back to her room.

 **ooo**

"Was this a part of the tournament?" Theo groans.

"What?" Hermione asks as she makes herself comfortable on the couch.

"These panic attacks?" He asks.

Hermione frowns. "Did you have another one?" She asks worriedly.

"No, but I almost did. Took the calming draught before it could really _attack_. " he says dryly.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, don't you think it's odd that we had panic attacks on the same day at the same time?" She gnaws at her bottom lip.

"That's what I said...weird" Theo looks at her, and twists his lips upwards.

"But this couldn't have been a part of the tournament. What do you think triggered them?" She asks.

"I can only say for myself" he says, quietly.

"Mind if I ask what it was?" Hermione asks.

Theo shrugs. " War. Luna." Only two words.

"Go on" she prompts.

Theo inhales deeply and begins to speak, "I met Luna during the war. I mean actually met met her, and it wasn't a pleasant meeting." He admits.

"She was captured and brought in. I was with Blaise and Draco when I first heard her scream." He put his head in his hands. "We were just boys and we didn't know what to do. We tried our best to stay out of the way, but- God" his hands began shaking.

"It was terrible," he whispers.

"The Dark- Voldemort asked me to torture her...torture my Luna. He said he'd kill us both if I didn't. And ever the coward, I did it. I used the cruciatus on her for as long as he wanted me to. He asked me to punch her, I did it. He asked me to crack her ribs, I did it. He asked me to kick her and torture her until she'd spill Potter's location, I did it. But, she never said a single word."

He was shaking badly now, so Hermione covers his hands with her own, and gives them a gentle squeeze, encouraging him to continue.

His inhale is shaky as he begins to speak, "I tortured her, Hermione. But she never spoke a single word. That...That made me wonder. It made me question my beliefs. I-I couldn't do anything. I was in too deep, so I decided to talk to Draco about it. And when I did, I was surprised to find the familiarity in his eyes. Watching someone you love being tortured is not easy, Hermione. Not then, not now, not ever!" He squeezes his eyes shut.

"That was the day when we decided that we will no longer take part in any of the torture. We will not hurt a human. Muggle, muggle-born, blood traitor. We're all human, afterall, aren't we?" He asks with a sad smile.

Hermione nods, her lips quivering slightly.

"Oh Theo!" She says suddenly and flings her arms around his neck, embracing him. Hesitantly, but surely, his arms come around her back.

And that's how Draco Malfoy finds them. Huddled together on the couch, arms wrapped around each other.

He clears his throat, and they both separate and look at him. Malfoy and Theo communicate through their eyes, and then Malfoy sighs. " Xavier is here, Granger" and the way he says it, makes Hermione want to hide her face. Was he trying to tease her?

"Invite him in, Malfoy" she smirks at the baffled expression on his face.

"Right," he drawls, and pats Theo on the back once, before walking out. Hermione leans forward and her eyes almost bulge out of their sockets, because Malfoy actually opens the door and let's Xavier in.

Theo chuckles beside her, and she turns to look at him questioningly.

"He's not as bad as you think" he says, and thanks Salazar when Hermione scowls, because that means she hasn't noticed his slip up.

' _Watching someone you love being tortured is not easy, Hermione'_

 **ooo**

Xavier places the tray of food on the dinner table, and Hermione barely keeps herself from sniffing whatever he had brought.

"Thank you so much," she thanks him. He gives her a tight smile, and she instinctively turns her head towards her right where Malfoy was standing. And as expected, he was glaring at the handsome lad.

"I-I'll leave," Xavier moves towards the the front door, but Hermione blocks him.

"Nonsense. Join us," she says and twitches her lips into a half smile, on the side facing Malfoy.

She hears him groan and her eyes beam.

"No, I-I," he stutters again.

Malfoy frowns at him and then speaks, rendering Hermione speechless. " I don't bite," he drawls.

Xavier swallows before nodding and takes a seat on the dinning table.

Hermione smiles at Malfoy and he looks away, his jaw clenching, eyes void of any emotion.

"Theo!," Hermione calls. Theo appears after 3 seconds, his wand ready in his hands. As he takes in the sight, he grimaces and lowers his wand, throwing it behind him.

"Hello," he greets Xavier with a tilt of his head.

Xavier just smiles in return.

"What do we have here today?" Theo says as he takes a seat beside Malfoy and lifts the cover off the tray. Hermione's mouth waters as she inhales the scent of chicken manchurian and egg fried rice.

"Wow. This looks delicious," she comments.

Xavier smiles at her, and she squirms uncomfortably when she feels Malfoy's eyes on her.

Theo is the first one to take a bite, and she's about to grab a spoon when Malfoy's hand shoots out to grab her arm.

His grey eyes are narrowed as he stares at Xavier, and she looks at him questioningly. But, his gaze is fixed and focused and then suddenly, Theo doubles over in pain. Malfoy drops her arm and stands up, his chair scraping against the hard wood. "Theo!" Hermione says.

Malfoy pulls out his wand from the pocket of his robes, and Hermione's eyes widen. "Malfoy! What are you doing?" She asks as he raises his wand at Theo and whispers a spell that she has never heard before," _evomet_ " and then points it at the muggle.

With a sudden retch, Theo vomits all over the floor. Hermione is torn between deciding whether she should stop Malfoy or help Theo.

But the decision is made when Malfoy begins to walk towards Xavier and he recoils in fear.

"Malfoy," she tries again, but fails as he doesn't pay any attention to her.

She looks towards Theo, and grabbing a glass of water, walks towards him. "Here. Rinse your mouth," she says softly.

Theo doesn't look at her, his cheeks red. "Here?" He asks, mortified.

"Its alright, Theo" she encourages.

"N-no," she hears Xavier whimper, and she snaps her head back to look at the two men. Malfoy's wand was pressed against Xavier's chest, and the latter was drenched in his own sweat, even though it was less than zero degrees outside.

She gives Theo a hopeless look, and darts towards the two men. "Malfoy" she scolds.

He doesn't respond.

"Honestly," she mumbles and reaches for his arm when his voice slices through the air." Don't" he says and looks at her.

Hermione tries to hide the hurt from her face, but clearly fails because Malfoy let's out a sigh, clenches his jaw shut, and looks away.

"Lower the wand, Malfoy" she says, her voice shakes a bit.

But he doesn't. Instead, he continues to stare at Xavier whose eyes are downcast. "Malfoy, please" she wants him to understand that this was a muggle. He had no reason- _Oh bugger_. She'd gone and said so herself, 'Lower the wand, Malfoy' The wand? The _wand_? God!

"Answer me," he hisses and she snaps our of her trance.

"Who. Sent. You?" He asks again and pushes his wand deeper with every word.

Xavier whimpers in response.

"What are you talking about?" She asks him.

Malfoy doesn't look at her when he replies," He's clearly not a muggle"

Hermione frowns. "What are you on about?"

Malfoy looks towards their right, where Theo was supposed to be, but only finds an empty table. The mess had been magically cleaned, too.

"He poisoned Theo, Granger" he says through gritted teeth.

She gasps. "What?"

"No. No I swear I didn't," he cries.

Malfoy pushes his wand deeper into his chest, and he grunts out in pain. "Please. I didn't" he begs.

Now Hermione is torn again.

"Is this true, Xavier?" She asks him, her eyes wide.

"I...No, Ms Hermione . I swear _I_ didn't poison him."

"Shut up," Malfoy growls and shoves the man towards the dinner table. Hermione looks at him questioningly, but soon understands his intent.

"Eat," he orders.

Xavier's eyes widen. "W-wh... I, no"

Hermione raises her brows at him. What was going on?

"I said fucking eat!" Malfoy slams his fist on the table, and the tray jerks under the pressure.

"Go on, Xavier. Eat" Hermione encourages, but her face falls when he shakes his head.

"I fucking knew it! Now, who sent you?"

Malfoy hisses, his eyes narrowed and dangerous.

And Xavier turns sheet-white.

 ** _Finally a plot twist. Who could it be mhmm? Please review! x_**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I apologise for not updating yesterday, but it was a particularly nasty day and i didn't get time to update. Thank you so much for reading and loving. To the person who said this story could've been better- I know, honey. I know. But sometimes real life gets in the way and things don't go as planned :)) However, I thank you for reading and taking time out to review! *hearts* To the darlings, _**Lynx**_ and _**Ditte3**_ , I'm so glad you're enjoying! Thank you for reviewing all the chapters x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Ten**

He mumbles something under his breath, and Hermione strains her ears to catch whatever he's saying.

"Louder," Malfoy hisses.

"I don't know him, but his friends call him Viktor"

Hermione's eyes widen. "Krum? Viktor Krum?" She asks.

"Y-yes" Xavier squints at her.

Malfoy lets out an inhuman growl and shoves him back against the wall, holding him in place by placing an arm over his neck.

"What else did he ask you to do?" He grits out.

Hermione licks her dry lips.

"I...I don't know. Please let me go" he cries.

"Not until you _fucking_ spill it" he growls at him, and Hermione is reminded of the hateful boy that she knew at Hogwarts. He sounds very much like his old self, and she's scared.

"I-I.." he stutters and turns his gaze towards Hermione, silently begging for her help.

She shakes her head. "Tell us," she says, the word _us_ making her stomach clench.

Xavier heaves a sigh, but Malfoy pushes him harder against the wall, almost cutting off his oxygen.

"I will tell... I will tell you everything" he cries.

Malfoy clenches his jaw and loosens his grip on the other man.

"That Viktor...He...He asked me to poison Nott and Malfoy" he admits.

Hermione gasps.

"And?" Malfoy prompts.

"And, what?"

"What about Her- _Granger_?" He asks.

Hermione's heart is beating frantically fast, not at all because he was about to say _Hermione_.

"He...said that he she was a good person. He asked me to bring her to him once I was done...with you both."

Hermione's nostrils flare. _How dare he?_!

Moving with bolting light speed, she flings her hand across his face and slaps him. Hard. The sound reverberates around the room.

"And you were just going to murder them?" She's seething with anger.

"He said that they were bad men! He asked me to check their forearms for a sign of a dark skull!" He tries to reason.

"So? You didn't think twice before poisoning Theo? What the hell, Xavier? And here I actually thought you were a decent human being, but you're nothing but a vile, pathetic murderer." She spits the words at his face.

"Forgive me Ms Hermione, but he said that Malfoy and Nott were the ones who murdered and tortured-"

"Shut up!" She yells having had enough. "Just shut up!"

His mouth snaps shut, and he presses it into a thin line.

"What did he offer you?" She asks after a moment.

"What?"

"In return... for killing them" she clarifies.

Malfoy, who was listening quietly up until now, stands up straight.

Xavier's cheeks redden and he looks away.

"Spit it out" she snarls at him.

"He said...He _promised_... he'd let me have you" he says in a small voice.

A crack is heard in the room and it takes her a moment to understand that it was the sound of Malfoy's fist colliding with Xavier's nose.

He'd broken it.

And then, he lifts a leg and knees him where it'd hurt the most, making him fall to the ground, grunting in pain.

"You fucking tosser!" Malfoy yells as he kicks him as hard as he can.

Theo enters the room, his wand in hand. " Draco!" He yells as he dashes towards them, but Hermione grabs his arm and stops him. He looks at her questioningly, but she only shakes her head.

Her eyes are stinging with tears of rage and her breathing is laboured. What was she? a toy? A _toy_... she closes her eyes as she fights an internal war. In the end, her frantic brain wins.

Her breath hitches in her throat as she sees Remus and Tonks crumble, their hands linked together. She sees Fred's smiling face before he departs and hears George lets out a strangled cry. She feels the waves crashing around herself, drowning her, and she gasps for breath. She feels the water pulling her down, cutting off her oxygen completely. She needs to get out. _Out out out_. She gasps as the need to draw a breath increases, and she screws her eyes shut.

"No, no no" she pants, and her back hits something solid. Just when thinks she has drowned, she feels two strong arms wrap around her middle, holding her steady.

And she knows it's Draco.

Her heart immediately calms down a bit, but her eyes are firmly screwed shut.

She feels his arms as they hook around her knees and neck, hauling her up in his stronghold as he begins to walk. She then feels herself being lowered onto a bed, and then he's shoving a spoonful of the calming draught in her mouth.

She swallows, and immediately feels herself being transported back to the present.

Her eyelids flutter open and she blinks several times, tears falling from her eyes. Her lips quiver slightly, her cheeks flaming hot due to embarrassment.

Draco's arms are still around her and she dares not to look into his eyes, knowing that she'd find them blank and hollow.

But she does, anyway.

Peeling her gaze away from her sleeves, Hermione raises her eyes to his. And he's already looking at her. A few more tears fall from her eyes when she sees that his eyes are shinning with emotion. They're not empty. No- they're filled with emotion she can't name, and her stomach flip-flops. His hair is tousled and some strands are falling on his forehead. He's staring at her through hooded eyes, and she's mesmerized.

She's suddenly very much aware of his arms around her.

And then, exhaustion takes over, and she's falling asleep in his arms. She thinks she's dreaming, but she could've sworn she felt him press his lips to her temple.

She drifted off into a dreamless slumber, thinking he might have added some dreamless sleep draught to the calming draught.

 **Day Twenty Two**

She's alone when she wakes up, and last night feels like a nightmare and a dream, all in one.

She remembers the feel of his arms around her, and her cheeks flame as she scolds herself for breaking down in front of him.

Suddenly, she scrambles out of her bed and darts towards the lounge, bare feet.

"Theo," she calls.

"Morning, Granger," he greets from the kitchen.

Hermione enters and finds him packing fruits in his bag. She furrows her brows as she approaches him, eyes silently asking him a question.

"We're leaving", he declares.

Hermione bites her lower lip. "Where's...?" She trails off.

"He's showering, " he says, pointing towards the bathroom.

"Right...Theo?"

"Mhmm?"

"What happened after I...?"

"Oh," he says. "We obliviated him and sent him on his merry way"

Hermione frowns. "That's it?"

Theo smirks at her. "Why, Granger, were you hoping to find him in pieces?"

Hermione snorts in a very un-ladylike manner. "No, I'd have liked to chop him up myself"

Theo's eyes widen. "I'm joking, Theo," she says, rolling her eyes.

He shakes his head. "I can't believe Viktor Krum," he says, frowning.

"Me too" she mumbles. "Slimy git," she says bitterly.

"Talking about me, Granger?" She hears the familiar drawl, and heat crawls up her cheeks. She turns around, facing him. "Think so highly of yourself, do you?" She bites back, but there's a tiny smile playing at her lips.

Theo watches them with amusement in his eyes. Everybody was acting extra cheery today. Maybe it was normal or maybe because they didn't want awkwardness to settle between them.

Draco cocks his head to one side, his eyes roaming over her face.

She squirms under his gaze and turns back around to face Theo. "I'll go and pack my stuff. We can leave in an hour" she says before she walks towards the door.

Draco moves a little to the side, so she has to bump into him a little as she exits the kitchen. And the scent of aftershave follows her to the room.

 **ooo**

"Do we have everything we need?" Hermione asks.

"You ask that one more time, Granger, and I swear to Salazar I will hang myself" Theo replies.

Hermione huffs at him and grabs her bag. Dra- _Malfoy_ comes out of his bedroom, his bag thrown over his shoulder. He looked like _...nothing_.

"Ready?" He asks. And she almost swoons on her feet because his voice is heavy with sleep.

"Yes," she replies and looks away, blushing because the question was directed towards Theo.

Malfoy looks at her, a smirk on his face.

She glares at him in response.

"Yeah let's go," Theo says, smirking at them both.

Hermione grabs _the cloak_ from the bar stool and hangs it over her shoulders. She has named it as 'the cloak' because she doesn't know what else to call it. Certainly not Malfoy's, and not her own either.

"You coming, Granger?" her head snaps up upon hearing Theo's voice from the main door. "Yes!" She yells back and jogs towards the two men, making sure to avoid eye contact with the blond as she adjusts her-his _\- the cloak._

ooo

"Where exactly are we going?" She asks, sniffing slightly.

"No idea" Theo mutters, shivering. The winter winds were howling and slapping mercilessly against their cheeks, and she remmebers Malfoy's advice and casts a quick warming charm, but the cold still remains.

Hermione motions towards the blond who was walking in front of them, and silently asks Theo to ask Malfoy where he was going.

Theo seems to get her and he gives her a lopsided grin before he calls out, "Draco!"

Malfoy stops and turns around to look at them. "Where are we going?" She asks.

Malfoy raises a brow at Theo and then turns towards her. "Out of this town" is his reply.

"What?" She hisses. "You know we can't do that! The answer to our clue is lying here somewhere and you want to leave?" She questions.

Malfoy scratches his jaw and throws a dirty look her way. "I don't know about you, Granger. But I value my life more than finding the damn clue" he retorts.

Hermione pinches the bridge of her nose. "But you obliviated him, didn't you? Then what's the danger?" She taps her foot impatiently.

"And they call you the smartest witch of our age?" He scoffes. "Dont you remember what McGonagall said, Granger?" He _tsks_. "She said the other trios will be at the same place as us. Which means that Viktor Krum is in this town this very minute"

Hermione's eyes widen. She had actually forgotten about this bit of information. Oh _God_. Krum is here and he wants to kill Theo and Malfoy. _Oh Lord._

"Let's go" she exhales. "Let's leave this town. We can come back once we've figured out the clue" she draws her eyebrows together and raises them, her lips pushing out into a pout.

Suddenly, Theo pinches her cheeks, making her scowl. "Theo," she chides, rubbing a hand over her cheeks.

"What?" He says." You were looking so cute"

Hermione swats him playfully on the shoulder, her eyes instinctively turning towards Malfoy to gauge his reaction. His face was blank as if he had expected her to turn and look at him.

Prat.

"Where do we go?" She asks.

"Take us to the place where you went camping with Potty and Weasel" Theo says, and Hermione is hit with a ton of emotions at once. First of all, her heart feels heavy upon hearing Harry's and Ron's name. Her best friends, her brothers. Gods, did she miss them both! Secondly, a lump forms in her throat at the mention of 'camping'. She clearly remembers the day in the Forest of Dean when Harry had spoken Voldemort's name and they were caught. Caught and brought to.. _.Malfoy_ Manor.

She looks at Malfoy, and he's staring at her, as if he knows what she's thinking about. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and Theo seems to take that as a no.

"What, no camping with the Slytherins?" He asks, pouting.

She rolls her eyes, still getting over the emotions. "Fine. We can go there if you want to freeze to death."

Theo's eyes narrow and then widen. "Oh.." he says.

"Oh, indeed," Malfoy replies. "Lets get going, shall we? I have a place in mind" he says.

"We're going to walk there?" She asks, bewildered.

"No, we're going to a hiding spot" he replies.

"Oh" it makes sense now. He wants to apparate which he obviously can't do in front of so many muggles.

"Wait... then why didn't we apparate from the guesthouse?" She asks.

Malfoy huffs, but it is Theo who answers. "Because, Granger, we didn't want to risk anything. What if that tosser gets his memories back and forms alliances with Krum once again? He'd know where we were and he possibly could trace our magic back to us."

Hermione nods, feeling lost. "You didn't need to worry about that. Viktor is not as smart as most people might think" she says.

Malfoy turns around sharply to look at her, and she looks at him with wide eyes.

"You would know that, wouldn't you?" He sneers.

"What?" She's thoroughly confused.

"That _your_ Viktor isn't as smart-"

"Stop," she interrupts him. "All I meant to say was that he's stupid"

"Who is?" Malfoy asks, his eyes suddenly blank and void of any emotion.

She pulls at her hair. "Viktor, Malfoy!" She almost yells.

Malfoy let's out a humourless chuckle. "Did you hear yourself, Granger? You called him by his given name"

Hermione closes her mouth, and then opens it again, only to close it once again.

"Krum, Draco" she restructures her sentence, and his eyes shine grey in response.

And then, Theo screams.

 _ **I hope this was fine. What do you guys think? Please review! xx**_

 _ **P.s Treasure hunting will begin in the next chapter :))**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Loving your enthusiasm! Thank you x Hopefully the next chapter will be interesting ;)

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Eleven**

Hermione's head whips around to face Theo, her eyes wide.

Theo grins.

"What the hell, Theo?" She snarls at him.

Theo shrugs and puts on his best innocent face. "You both were ignoring me, so I decided to make my presence known."

"Ughh" she puffs out her red cheeks. "Please dont do that again. I almost had a heart attack, you git!"

" _Almost_ being the operational word here, Granger" he smirks.

"Let's continue this after we reach our destination, shall we?" Malfoy interrupts.

"Aww, Drake. Are you seeking attention now?"...

 **ooo**

Hermione is surprised when she finds herself in front of a villa, right in front of the beach. The sand is softly golden, smooth as velvet under her boots. The clouds are heavy and it looks like it might rain. She wonders where they are, and turns around to face Theo.

He's engrossed in deep conversation with Draco, both grinning.

She clears her throat.

Theo wolf-whistles and without looking at her, says," Is someone trying to seek our attention, Draco?" he snickers.

Hermione throws a dirty look his way. Theo laughs and turns around completely. "Yes, Granger? Any questions?" He grins, knowing that _duhh of course she has questions._

Hermione narrows her eyes at him and turns towards Malfoy.

"Where are we?" She asks.

"Really, Granger? You're going to ignore me?" Theo jokes.

"Its one of the Malfoy summer houses." Draco replies.

Hermione frowns. "Are we in England?"

"Scotland," he replies with a tiny smirk.

"You brought us to Scotland?" She asks, her eyes wide.

"So?" He scoffs.

"You brought me to a Malfoy property?" she asks with a fake laugh.

A muscle in his jaw twitches and his eyes narrow. "Have a problem with that, do you?" He asks.

"I have a problem?" She snorts. "Isn't this place too pure-"

"Just fucking drop it already, Granger" Theo butts in.

Hermione almost pouts. Malfoy gives her a look of disgust before walking towards the main door.

One step in, and she wants to jump in excitement. Right in front of her was a huge book shelf filled with books. The shelf covered most of the wall and she couldn't help but let out a delighted squeal.

"Wow," she breathes.

"Wait till you see the Jacuzzi, Granger" Theo says.

"Who cares about the Jacuzzi?" She says, still mesmerized by the number of books in front of her.

"Clean people, Granger," comes the sarcastic drawl from Malfoy.

Hermione rolls her eyes.

"Look at all these books!" Her eyes are practically beaming.

Malfoy looks at her, his eyes lingering on her own. She swallows, because he's giving her _**the look.**_ The look that makes you want to melt into a puddle, the look that causes your heart to accelerate and your toes to curl. She tries to give him a small smile, but that seems to be the wrong move because he looks away, suddenly looking quite uncomfortable.

"There aren't any dark books here, are there, Malfoy?" She asks.

This time when he turns around to face her, her lips stretch into a grin to let him know that she was joking.

Malfoy's lips, too, stretch into a smirk that she's grown to love so much.

 _Oh hell no_

"Oh yes, many" he says.

"Mhmm" she hums, making her way towards the bookshelf.

"I wonder where they are," she says, trailing her fingers over the dust-covered books.

"Wouldn't you want to know?" He replies. "Dark, _dark_ Hermione Granger"

And she freezes, her hand stilling on a particular book, her stomach flip-flopping. Hermione.

 _Hermione_.

She's sure this is the first time he has said her name, and she scolds her traitor heart. It's just a name.

 _Yes, but her own name!_

God, have mercy.

"Cat got your tongue, Granger?" Malfoy tsks.

She squeals in surprise, because his voice was too near to her ear, almost fanning the hair at the nape of her neck.

She turns around, pressing herself against the shelf. "I, for a fact, know that there aren't any dark books in here," she declares, clearly having lost their original conversation.

"You trust him that much now, eh?" Theo comes out of what she presumes to be the kitchen, as he's holding a buttered toast in his hand.

"No," she scoffs. "I happen to trust the Aurors to clear this place well" she crosses her arms around her middle, looking Draco dead in the eye.

He clicks his tongue off the roof of his mouth, but his eyes are alight with, dare she say, joy? Amusement?

"What does your lot do with the dark books, Granger?" Malfoy asks.

"I-" she falters. What did they do?

"Why, they store them away, of course" she scoffs.

"Store them away for?" He prompts, lips curving at the edges.

She forgets how to breathe.

"For future reference" is what she ends up blurting out.

Malfoy full on laughs. Pushing away from her, he steps back as his eyes crinkle around the corners and his lips curl up into the most delicious grin she has ever seen. His laugh is genuine and it warms her heart. It has the right amount of everything.

 _Hermione_.

She joins him too, then. And Theo looks at them, shaking his head

 **ooo**

"I'm bored" Theo whines as he plucks the book from her hands and throws it behind him.

"Theo!" She scolds. "Give it back"

"Nope," he says, popping the 'p'

"Go and bother Draco" she says, her brows knitting together.

"He's in the- Oh wait, he's right here" Theo says while pointing behind her.

And sure enough, the blond is leaning against the door frame, watching them both.

"Join the party, Draco" Theo waves him in.

"No thanks," he says dryly.

"We're cool!" Theo offers.

"Yeah I can see that" he mutters as he enters the room and picks up the discarded book.

"Don't mistreat my books, Granger" he says.

"You know I wouldn't do that, Malfoy. Theo took it from me" she tells him, huffing at Theo, who smiles innocently at her.

Draco hands the book to Theo, silently ordering him to place it back in the bookshelf.

Theo complies and leaves the room.

"Let's go swimming!" She says, eyes suddenly bright.

Draco scowls at her. "We're here to solve the riddle, Granger, not to go skinny dipping."

She blushes. "Swimming is different" she argues.

"I hardly care about that. What we need to be doing right now is cracking that damn clue" he replies hotly.

Hermione pouts at him. "Fine" She looks away from him.

"Granger" he sighs.

She "humphs" but keeps her head turned away from him.

"Granger" he says again.

"What?" she mumbles.

"Look at me" he says.

And his voice is so unbelievably soft yet so so firm. She turns towards him, her brown eyes wide and questioning.

"Let's go swimming?" He asks, his lips curving at the edges.

And she almost doesn't believe it.

She forgets how to breathe, but at the same time, draws in a sharp breath. He's looking at her like she'd look at him, and it's setting her throat on fire, and butterflies to flutter about in her stomach. Her hands shake as she tangles them together, and finally finds her voice to reply to him.

"Lets" is all she manages, and then she's grinning from ear to ear, so wide that it's almost hurting her jaw. She wants to remove this distance between them, jump at him and envelope him into a never ending embrace. He looks fucking cute right now and it's then she knows.

She knows that she's doomed.

Because she's in love with Draco Malfoy, and has been for quite some time now.

 **A/N** : I know this is way too short, but it's something at least. My muse just isn't cooperating...Please review to feed the moody arse muse. All my love x


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** An early update because you guys are just too sweet! Also, I published a dramione one-shot 'Goodbye little angel', so check that out as well. Thank you x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Theo furrows his brows as he enters the sunroom and finds Hermione and Draco staring at each other. There is a blush staining the former's cheeks, while the latter keeps shifting his weight from one leg to another.

Finally picking up, were they?

"Oi, you tossers," he grins when they both snap out of it and then turn towards him; both of them glaring daggers at him.

"What happened here?" He asks, lips curving into a smirk.

Hermione opens her mouth to speak, but Malfoy beats her to it. "Granger here wants to go swimming." He drawls.

He turns his gaze towards the brunette in time to see the flash of disappointment in her brown eyes.

"Well, that's great! Because even I was about to suggest we go swimming," he smiles at Hermione.

It was time he changed his tactics. He could barely control his laughter.

"Do you have one of those sexy muggle swimsuits, Granger?" He asks, throwing a wink her way.

Hermione glares at him, her cheeks blooming red. "I most certainly do not"

"Tch. How unfortunate" he smirks at her baffled look, but mostly at the way Draco's hands were clenching into fists.

"What are we waiting for?" He asks.

Hermione bites her lower lip, and looks at Draco, but he seems intent on not making eye contact with her.

"Let's go" she says, and moves past him, towards Theo.

Theo glares at Draco, motioning him to come with them. The blond heaves a sigh and follows them.

 **oooo**

The water is freezing cold as she takes a step in, shivering as the cold settles in her bones. She clutches her robe tighter around herself, thinking why in Merlin's name would she suggest they swim in this weather? It was December!

Draco and Theo are close behind, both of them watching her in an unnerving manner.

She tries to smile at them, but it comes out as a grimace instead.

She takes a deep breath and takes another step. Letting out a yelp, she jumps back and out of the waters. It was _fucking_ cold.

She hears someone snickering and she knows its him.

Draco blows air into his hands, rubbing them together. "Rethinking your decision, Granger?" He huffs out a laugh.

And she's stunned because he looks freaking gorgeous. The wind is tousling his blond hair, and slapping his cheeks red. His pointy nose and chin are standing out from his subtle jaw, and his lips are pink, slightly parted.

She's captivated by those grey eyes shinning with amusement.

What's so funny? She thinks.

"What?" She yells, because the waves are crashing violently against the shore, making it harder to listen.

"I said, Granger, come back before you fall sick" he yells back.

Theo shakes his head, laughing, and kicks a stone towards her.

"But you said you'd swim!" She argues, even though she has no intention of stepping back into the frozen heaven.

Draco grins- full on grins at her. "Brightest witch of her age, my arse!" He calls out.

And that's when she understands. This whole time, the joke had been on her...

" _Granger" he says again._

 _"What?" she mumbles._

 _"Look at me" he says._

 _And his voice is so unbelievably soft yet so so firm. She turns towards him, her brown eyes wide and questioning._

 _"Let's go swimming?" He asks, his lips curving at the edges._

 _And she almost doesn't believe it._

He was making fun of her! That...that smile at the end wasn't a smile! He was just trying to control his laughter!

Unconsciously, her lips begin to tremble and she sniffs.

And here she thought something might have changed in his heart. Something that had made him forget about Parkinson. Something about her...

Oh God, she was so stupid. Even Theo was playing with her all along. Those manipulative, sly Slytherins!

Tears of embarassmemt cloud her eyes, and her vision blurs.

And before she knows, her foot slips on a rock and she falls down, sliding towards the frosted waters.

She screams as the freezing cold water hits her and engulfs her completely. Shetries to swim, but the cold has made her body stiff, and the waves are way too strong for her.

She tries to break through the surface, but a particularly nasty wave cuts her off, drowning her further into the chilled waters.

The need to draw in oxygen becomes way too much. All she wants to do is pant and gasp, but she can't. _She can't, she can't_.

Draco's eyes flash through her mind, and she wonders if the boys think she's playing a prank on them.

It is then she hears him yelling her name.

Her name.

 _Hermione_.

She tries to kick and move, but she can't. Panic surrounds her heart, squeezing it till she can breathe no more. The last thing she hears before blacking out is his voice, calling her name.

 **Day Twenty Three**

Hermione feels like she's been to hell and back. Her back is stiff, her eyes are sore, and her mouth is dry. She raises her hand to shield herself from the light as her eyes flutter open. She's lying on the couch in the sunroom, rays of light reflecting off of the glass, making the room look sun-kissed.

She tries to pick up her other hand to rub her eyes, but frowns when she feels something holding it back. Looking towards her left, she barely stifles a gasp as her eyes land on the man who was sitting on the chair right next to the couch, his face a picture of peace and placed delicately over his crossed arms, his hand holding hers tightly.

Draco Malfoy was holding her hand while she slept. She can hardly breath.

Swallowing with difficulty, Hermione turns around completely to face him, making sure not to move her arm too much. She couldn't wake him up. She needed this.

Taking her time, she studies his face, memorizing every line and curve. He was an intricate work of art. God had taken his time with Draco Malfoy.

He looks magnificent and Hermione Granger swears she hasn't seen anybody more perfect.

She remembers now, all the events of the previous night. He had come for her. He had called her Hermione.

She's suddenly feeling quite giddy, like a young teen around her first crush. She giggles softly, feeling happy for an unknown reason.

But she knew...

 _He had come for her!_

She hastily wipes the two tears streaming down her cheeks with her right hand, making sure to keep her left side still.

And at the same time, soft blond lashes flutter and open, revealing the greys and blues of Draco's eyes. She smiles at him then, sniffing.

He squints, clearly confused. "Granger?" His voice is hoarse.

"Good morning" she greets, her voice raw, and accidentally squeezes his hand, catching his attention.

He looks at their hands, linked together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, perfectly moulded. The expression on his face is unreadable and she holds her breath as he stares at their little connection.

Draco clears his throat, and she bites her lower lip, wincing when she feels how chapped her lips are.

Slowly and very carefully, Draco extracts his hand from hers, and she heaves a breath. "Feeling better?" He asks, running a hand through his hair.

She nods, noticing the slightly blue marks under his eyes.

"I-...Granger," he falters.

Hermione looks at him, raising her brows in a silent question.

"Water?" he asks.

"Yes, please," she croaks out.

Draco stands up, stretching slightly. And she swears she tries to look away, but she can't. His shirt rides up, and she peeks at the pale skin underneath.

He walks towards the coffee table and fills a mug with water using his wand.

"Here," he gives it to her.

"Thanks," she mumbles and takes a sip, and another- and another until there's nothing left.

"Merlin's sake, Granger. I'll give you more," Draco says, eyeing her warily as she tries to suck the last drop of water.

"No, I'm good," she says, exhaling loudly.

Draco pushes his tongue into his cheek, his eyes roaming over her face.

"I'm sorry," he sighs.

 _What_?

"What?" She asks.

"For yesterday, Granger."

 _Oh_.

She had completely forgotten why she had fallen in the first place. These manipulative prats had made her look like a fool and she had almost started crying. Yes, yes. She remembered everything now.

 _But wasn't it good, Hermione? This way at least you got to hold his hand. You got to hear him call your name.._.

And with a start, she realises that she'd do it all over again.

"Its fine," she shrugs. "It _was_ my fault, after all"

Draco exhales, looking like he wants to say something. But, at the same time, Theo enters the room.

"Oh good, you're awake," he says, walking towards her with carefully calculated steps, as if expecting her to start hexing him any second.

She doesn't reply. Just looks at him with narrowed eyes.

He raises his hands in surrender. "Im sorry, Granger. But you fell because of your own clumsiness. I didn't have a hand in it!"

"Did I say anything?" She asks hotly.

"Oooh" he fans himself.

"I swear to Merlin, Granger, the plan was to stop you if you decided to go in deep. But we didn't know you'd fall" he holds his hands out as if to say ' _see_?'

"Did I blame you even once, Theo?" She sighs and shakes her head.

"No," he grins. "But I like to be clear"

"Thanks," she says dryly.

"Oh come on! Fix your mood. Draco here hasn't slept-"

"Theo," Draco says calmly. Too calmly.

Theo snaps his lips shut. "I shouldn't have said that"

Hermione bites her lips to keep them from saying, ' _you sound just like Hagrid'._

His words play inside her head, but she shakes them off. She doesn't want to grab a rope that isn't strong enough to pull her up.

"I'm going to the dinning hall, join me if you want to solve the clue," Draco says before exiting the room, but not before he smacks Theo upside down on the head.

 **oooo**

"The only answer I can think of is...," Hermione trails off, gnawing at her lower lip.

"Is what?" Draco asks.

And she has this sudden urge to blush because this feels...peaceful. He's talking to her like an equal and his expression is neutral- no sneer this time.

She grimaces, because she wasn't one of those girls to blush all-

"Granger!" Draco snaps his fingers in front of her face.

She jumps, startled. "Sorry, I-... what were you saying? Right, the answer. Right" She rambles, her cheeks feeling too hot.

"Why th'fuck are you blushing, Granger?" Theo snickers.

Hermione throws a dirty look his way.

"Yes, the answer..." Draco says.

"It's a shoe."

Her answer is met with dead silence.

 _ **Cookies for 'Lynx' who answered the riddle in the reviews!**_

 _ **I hope this chapter was fine. I actually wanted them to go swimming, but then i remembered that it's December :P Thank God for that.**_

 _ **Please drop a review x**_


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hullo, guys! I'm so sorry for the late update, but life was pretty rough this past week. This chapter is just a filler, mainly dialogue between our lovely trio. Expect the next chapter to be a tad bit interesting- just a _tad bit._

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

"A shoe," Draco says. It isn't a question.

"Yes," she nods. "I've been thinking about it, and the only answer that makes sense is a shoe"

Theo snorts. "You do realise that we're already wearing our shoes, right?"

"Yes," she replies. "But it doesn't have to be one of our shoes"

"Fuck," Theo scowls and pulls at his hair. "This is ridiculous. Now we have to go back to that bloody town and touch every shoe we find?" He scoffs.

Hermione rolls her eyes. "Don't be so melodramatic, Theo. We'll get there"

"Krum did it," Draco breathes, as if he just realised something.

"Did what?" She asks, frowning slightly.

"Those panic attacks!" Malfoy exclaims.

"What?" She's thoroughly confused.

"That girl!" Theo yells, his eyes wide.

"Yes, that fucking girl!" Draco snarls.

Both of them were having a secret conversation and Hermione felt very much out of place.

She puffs out her cheeks and explodes," will you both mind telling me what's going on?"

"Yes, we will mind," Theo shrugs her off as he continues to think for details.

"Theodore Nott," Hermione hisses.

"Claudia," Draco says.

She turns around and faces him, her eyes wide. "What about her?"

"I'm positive Krum sent her," Draco replies. "She's the one who did something to cause those panic attacks"

Hermione bit her lower lip. "There's nothing that could-"

Draco's glare shuts her up. "It's not necessary that you know about everything, Hermione."

Her breath catches in her throat.

 _Hermione_.

It's the first time he has said it to her face. The first time he has referred to her by her own name in front of her.

She bites her tongue to keep herself from grinning like a madman.

When she looks at Theo, he smirks at her.

"You're right," she says.

Draco's eyes widen, mocking her. But she doesn't care. She's too happy to care.

"What did you say?" He asks.

"I said you're right," she blushes.

"Well, that's a first. Hermione Granger admitting she's wrong. This should make it to the headlines." he smirks at her.

 _Hermione_.

This time, she doesn't hold it back and grins like a _madman_.

"Let's get back to the topic at hand shall we?" Theo interrupts, grinning.

"Yes," she replies, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

"Okay, so why would Krum do that? What could he possibly gain by triggering our panic attacks?" Theo questions, tapping his index finger on his chin.

Hermione wracks her brain to come up with an answer, but all she can hear is ' _Hermione_ '.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," she mutters under her breath.

"Time," Draco says.

They both look at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

He sighs as if it was obvious and then says, "He wanted us to waste time"

"So they could get more time," she breathes.

"And figure out the clue before us!" Theo yells.

"That fucking piece of crap!" He growls. "How dare he mess with us Slytherins?"

"And a Gryffindor," Hermione adds, nodding her head.

"We'll teach him a lesson," Theo declares.

"What are you going to do?" She asks.

"I'm going to call fucking McGonagall and ask her to punish sodding Krum"

Hermione flinches at _fucking McGonagall._

"That's childish," Draco says.

"No," she replies, "That's how it should be"

"Tsk," he smirks at her. "Its childish for _**us**_ , Granger. Not for you, the goody two shoes Gryffindor."

Hermione scowls at him. "I'm not-,"she begins, but Theo interrupts her.

"You're not what, Granger? A Gryffindor?" He snickers.

Hermione scrunches her nose up, giving them both a look of utter disgust.

"Let's think about the clue, alright?" She snarls.

One of Draco's brows hikes up at her tone.

"No," Theo scowls. "I want to contact McGonagall right now. This is cheating!"

"There's no way of communicating with her, Theo. Don't you remember what she said?" Hermione asks.

"She's right," Draco says, surprising them both. "We shouldn't waste more time. Let's think about that god-damned shoe."

Hermione gnaws at her bottom lip. "Or...we could send her a patronus," she suggests.

She feels Theo and Draco stiffen beside her, their shoulders tensing.

"What's wrong?" She asks, brows furrowing.

Draco clenches his jaw and looks away, while Theo scratches the back of his neck.

"Er- Granger," he begins sheepishly, as if embarrassed.

"Go on," she prompts.

"We're deatheaters. We were never taught how to conjure a patronus. Besides, Severus is the only deatheater who has ever managed to produce one."

"Were," she says softly.

"What?" He asks.

"You _were_ deatheaters."

"Oh," he says, and then flashes her grin which makes her shake her head.

"Can you?" Draco asks.

His voice is too soft and calm. He seems to realise it too as he clears his throat, and averts his gaze.

"Yes," she replies. "My patronus is an otter," she smiles, thinking about the first time she had managed to conjure a patronus.

"An otter," Theo drawls. "How... _appropriate_ ", he snickers.

Hermione rolls her eyes. "Luna's patronus is a hare," she tells him. Lifting a hand to cover her smile, she watches as his eyes narrow, then widen, and then his mouth stretches into a wide grin. "She's...unique," he muses.

"She is," Hermione nods.

Draco snorts. "Unique and loony," he adds.

Theo grabs a cushion and hurls it towards Draco, hitting him on the shoulder.

"Git," he mutters.

"What? That's true!"

"At least my girl isn't a bu-"

"Bastard," Draco hisses as he throws the cushion back at Theo, cutting him off.

Hermione shakes her head, wondering what Theo was about to say.

 **Day Twenty Four**

"So let's get this straight. You want to go back to that god forsaken place and look for the shoe alone?" Theo asks, his tone conveying how ridiculous he thought the idea was.

Hermione throws her hands up in the air. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Why do you have a problem with that?"

"The problem, Granger, is that I don't want you get yourself killed- or worse, take sides with Krum"

"What? That's ridiculous, Theo," she chides. "You know I'd never do that"

"He can imperius you," he says with a raise of his brows.

"Theo!" She yells out in frustration.

"You want to go? Alright- but, I have a condition."

"What?"

"Draco will go with you."

"What?!" She yells, and then blushes when she feels Draco's eyes on her.

"I mean it's not safe for him." She adds.

"Since when do you care about my well-being, Granger?" Draco drawls.

 _Since the beginning._

"We're a team. I dont want you to get hurt because then we'll lose," she sniffs, lifting her chin.

Draco actually chuckles and Theo snickers. "Really, Granger? You need to take lying lessons from a slytherin," he smirks at her.

Hermione glares at him. "Let's finalise this. Me and D..-Malfoy will go back to that town and search for the shoe. Once we find it, I will send you my patronus, informing you about the location-"

"Your plan isn't as flawless as you think, Granger," Theo smirks at her. "How are you going to know if that particular shoe is actually what we're looking for."

Hermione bites her lower lip. Hard.

"There's a spell," Draco says.

They both turn to look at him, their eyes wide.

"What?" He asks.

"What spell?" Hermione inquires.

"Its a spell that detects if an object is a portkey or not," he replies.

 _One._

 _Two._

 _Three._

"What?!" Hermione yells. "And you're telling this to us just NOW?"

He shrugs like its no big deal. "Didn't remember," he says nonchalantly.

"Didn't remember?" She snorts.

"Alright, alright, Granger. Be thankful he told us now," Theo interrupts.

"Oh yeah," she narrows her eyes. "Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us, Draco Malfoy," she says hotly.

Draco's eyes widen momentarily before his mask of indifference slips back on. "Why, you're most welcome, Granger," he drawls, but there's a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Hermione nods, clearly disoriented. "We'll leave after sunrise," she declares before excusing herself.

 **ooo**

 _ **Things are going to get a little interesting from Day Twenty Five :)**_

 _ **Please excuse the fact that this chapter has absolutely no description at all. As I said, life has been hard and I'm just not feeling motivated to write. But I promise I'm trying x**_

 _ **Review! xx**_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Today is Sunday and I'm updating ;) W.O.W :p Thank you all for your patience and understanding. I love you guys x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **Day Twenty Five**

The sun was rising like a flower blooming on a beautiful spring day, and the sky was grey with thick layers of passing clouds.

Hermione feels an odd sort of satisfaction as she stares at the rising sun while standing with the man she has grown to love so much. Glancing towards her side, she studies his face in this golden hour.

His pointy nose and chin are tinted red, his lashes fluttering as he blinks. There's a slight stubble on his jaw, and she thinks he looks more handsome this way. His startling grey eyes are focused on a point above her head, and his throat bobs as he swallows.

"Granger," he says, his voice raspy and filled with sleep.

"Malfoy," she whispers, transfixed.

He looks at her then, and squints.

"Granger, snap out of it," he snaps his fingers in front of her face and she jerks back to reality.

"What?" She almost scowls at him, but stops because it was her fault. _She_ wasn't paying attention.

The alley feels too narrow now, and he feels too near. His breath fans her face as he whispers," Look behind you" and she almost closes her eyes and hums in contentment.

Instead, she carefully turns around, and barely stifles a gasp. The Durmstrang Trio is standing right where the alley begins. And Viktor Krum almost looks at her. Almost.

She turns towards Draco and his eyes are wide. At first she thinks he's afraid that Krum might recognise them, but this changes as soon as she sees him clutching his wand tightly in his hand.

"Malfoy," she whispers fiercely.

He ignores her, and continues to glare daggers at Krum.

"Malfoy, stop," she hisses. "He might see you."

"Good, because that's exactly what I want," he snarls and makes to push past her, but she grabs his shoulders and pushes him back. He trips over a discarded container of juice and his back hits the wall. Her hands still on his shoulders, she collapses against his chest with a _thump._

 _Thump thump thump_

The sound continues, but it's her heart this time. Her fingers are frozen on his shoulders and she's not even breathing.

"Fuck," she hears Draco hiss, and then feels him lowering his head. She pulls in a deep gulp of air, her heart thundering inside her chest.

His hands snake around her waist, and she curses herself for wearing so much clothing, and then she's completely engulfed by his arms. She lifts her head a little, careful not to look at him in the eye, and follows what he's doing by wrapping her arms around his neck. She grabs the hood of his robe and pulls it over his head.

He exhales a shaky breath, and lowers his face, resting it in the crook of her neck. Hermione involuntarily wiggles her neck a bit just to get her scarf out of the way, and to feel his breath on her skin. And boy, she does!

His lips, his oh so soft lips, are resting on the spot just beneath her ear, and she releases a breath that she's been holding. It comes out shaky and broken like a laugh breaks through sobs.

She wills herself to relax against him, and closes her eyes. One of his hands travels up her spine, and towards her head. He runs his fingers through her curls once, twice, and then flattens his palm at the back of her head- probably to hide her unmistakable curls. And by Merlin, she had never been more grateful for her unique hair.

She doesn't know how long they stand there just holding onto each other, and she doesnt want to find out. She wants to stay in his arms like this and just...hold him.

"Granger," he whispers in her ear. She's glad to hear that he sounds as disoriented as she feels.

"Yes?" She whispers, not moving. Not even breathing.

"He's gone," he says.

And reality comes crashing down on them both.

"Oh," she exhales and extricates herself from his arms.

His arms drop back to his sides, and she blinks several times.

"Malfoy?"

He looks at her, and raises an eyebrow.

"For how long...?" She cannot mask her shock. Her eyes are wide, and mouth open, because the sky looks completely different now.

Draco clears his throat. "45 minutes," he says and looks away. The redness from his face is gone.

Even she feels warmer.

Forty fucking five minutes.

"Right," she says, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. "Did you see which way Krum went?"

"Straight," is his one word answer.

Hermione swallows with difficulty.

" _Claudia_ was there," she tells him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

He nods. "I saw her"

"I've never seen the third one before, though. At least now we know who to avoid in this town," she chuckles half-heartedly, and then clears her throat when she realises she's laughing alone.

Draco nods again. He rubs his temples and releases a sigh. "Where do you suppose we stay the night?"

"I transfigured a few items from your place into sleeping bags, pillows and blankets." She tells him. " I hope you don't mind," she adds as an after-thought.

"No, it's fine," he waves it off.

"I was thinking we could cast a disillusionment charm on our sleeping bags when we sleep," she says.

"Hmm," he hums andshoves his hands in the pockets of his _transfigured cloak._

Hermione tugs _the cloak_ tighter around herself.

"Let's grab some Donals," he says.

Hermione looks at him, amused by his confident tone. "Donals?" She asks, even though she has a pretty good idea what he's talking about.

"Yeah...that fish burger place?" He reminds her.

"Oh," she says, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You mean McDonald's..."

He glares at her, but she doesn't find anything hateful in it.

"Yeah, Granger. _McDonald's_ ," he drawls.

"I think we should keep a low profile," she says.

Draco heaves a sigh and pulls out his wand. Bringing it to her face, he casts a few spells and the his magic tickles her skin.

He then points the wand at his own face and alters his features.

"There. All done," he says with a proud smile.

Hermione shakes her head. "What if somebody asks who we are?" She questions as she examines her now tanned hands.

"Then we say we're... muggles."

She laughs. "I'm Emma. Who would you like to be?"

"Fine, I'm Tom then," he smirks.

"Emma and Tom. Typical muggle names," she muses.

He snorts. "You could be Jerry, you know? He's the annoying one."

"I'm most certainly not ann-... wait a second! How do you know about Tom and Jerry?" She asks, her eyes wide.

Draco's cheeks turn red and he glares at her.

Laughter bubbles up in Hermione's stomach, and before she knows it, she's bending over and laughing and two tears are rolling down her cheeks.

"Mal-...," she laughs. "Malfoy...Awww...Did your mum make you watch Tom and Jerry so you'd eat?," she clutches her stomach and closes her eyes, trying to imagine the scene. "Or just to shut you up?"

"Granger," he growls. "This isn't funny"

"Of course it is," she coughs out another laugh.

He narrows his eyes and grabs her hand, shocking her. His hand is warm and soft against her own and he tugs her forward and they begin to walk.

"It isn't," he counters.

"Oh but it is, Malfoy. Wait- where did you even watch it? Don't tell me you have a television at home!" She starts laughing again.

Draco scowls. "I do not have a television at home."

"Then where?"

"IPad," he replies smoothly.

Hermione lifts a hand to her mouth to cover her grinning face. "You have an IPad?"

"One more question about this, Granger, and I'll throw you against the wall," he says and tightens his grip on her hand for emphasis.

She blushes, and she blushes hard. Even though she knows he hadn't meant it _that_ way, she cannot help but imagine... _stop, Hermione!_

She clears her throat and looks away. The colourful street, as she had named it, is full of people. It seems like a contest was taking place here as a stage had been placed right in the middle of the street. People were gathering around it and many were even wearing similar brown scarves.

"Ridiculous," Draco mutters under his breath.

"Its beautiful," she whispers, smiling.

"What? This?" He scoffs.

"This is life, Malfoy. Just look at them. They all look so happy,...so carefree."

"I don't like being carefree," he replies.

"What about being happy?" She asks.

"Happiness is only for the people of light," he shrugs.

Hermione stops midstride.

"What do you mean?" She inquires.

Draco shakes his head and tugs her forward. "Come on, let's get there before this thing ends."

Hermione, knowing not to push her luck, follows.

 **ooo**

It wasn't as bad as Hermione had initially thought it would be. Nobody had been suspicious of them, nor had anybody asked them any questions.

She breathes a sigh of relief as they reach _'their alley_ ' and drops down on the ground with a thud.

"I'm tired," she almost whines. Draco rolls his eyes with a shake of his head. He pulls out the sleeping bags from her backpack and throws one at her.

Hermione covers a yawn with the back of her hand and lays the sleeping bag on the ground. Unzipping it, she crawls in and moans in pleasure. Her brain feels foggy and she's almost about to sleep when she remembers something else.

"Blanket," she mumbles sleepily.

"What?" Draco asks as he stretches.

"Blanket, Draco," she mumbles, her eyes drifting shut.

The last thing she sees before falling asleep is his frozen face- like someone had petrified him.

And the last thing she feels is a warm, thick blanket covering her entire form.

And it smells like aftershave.

 **See what I did there? :)**

 **Review!! xx**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** An interesting chapter ;) Thank you for all the reviews! I love hearing from you guys x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **Day Twenty Six**

Hermione jerks awake and places a hand over her racing heart. Taking in deep breaths, she looks around herself, searching for Draco, but he's nowhere in sight.

Panic engulfs her chest and her breathing labours.

"Draco," she gasps.

She had dreamt that he was being tortured...being tortured by her. Hermione shudders as the dream still flows in front of her eyes, fresh and so, so real.

 _She had been about to kill him...or He was already dead. His face had gashes and he was coughing up blood._

"No," she whispers. "Draco!", her voice breaks.

"Draco, please," a tear rolls down her cheek.

She puts her head in her hands, and takes deep breaths. She doesn't want to panic. No, no, no. Because she doesn't have her calming draught with her, and without that...She doesn't even want to imagine.

"Oh God," she cries as she feels it all coming back full-force. "No, no, no," she whispers. And they're broken- these words. Her windpipe is clogged and she has to drag a breath in. Her ribs heave, straining to inflate her lungs.

"I didn't," she cries.

Her hands shake as she crawls out of her sleeping bag, hugging the blanket to her chest. She rests her back against the brick wall and takes in deep gulps of air, her face tear stricken.

"Draco," she whispers and puts her fist in her mouth to muffle the sounds.

Everything is a blur- the sound of chirping birds, the crisp winter air, the light wind. She doesn't feel anything except for the metal fist that is closing over her heart, squeezing it. The cold engulfs her from head to toe, and she curls upon herself.

Distantly she hears the sound of a zipper unzipping, and then hears the rocks crunching under someone's boots.

"Granger," she hears.

It's Draco.

"Draco," she gasps, her eyes shooting open; wide and worrisome.

"Yes,...yes it's me," he says and places his palms flat on her cheeks. "Fuck! You're freezing, Granger," he hisses and makes to pull away to grab his blanket, but she closes her hands around his wrists.

"I killed you," she whispers.

"I killed you. I killed you," she repeats, her voice rising every time, eyes getting wider and wider.

"Granger," he smooths the pads of his thumbs over her cheekbones. "Take deep breaths. I'm here. I'm right here. You didn't kill me," he whispers harshly against her face.

"No, no! I killed you. I saw it! And you...you vanished," she cries, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Gran- _Hermione_! Stop. I'm real, I'm here," he wipes her tears away.

"But I-" she whispers, but Draco cuts her off. "Shhh. It was just a bad dream," he says softly.

And he's so gentle and considerate that he doesnt look like Draco at all.

"I was looking for you," she whispers, her breathing is still uneven.

"Disillusionment charm, Granger. Remember?" He asks. His hands never leave her shaking face, his thumbs stroking her cheekbones.

"You're real," she breathes out.

He nods and tightens his hold on her face. "Think about positive stuff, Granger. Send this panic attack on its merry way," he whispers in her ear.

His hot breath tickles her skin and she shivers involuntarily, closing her eyes.

It takes her a moment to think about positive things and to focus on her limbs and muscles. She takes several deep breaths and opens her eyes.

And Draco is right here.

His eyes are shining like molten silver in the dim moonlight, and they're narrowed and crinkled at the corners. His lips are pursed and his cheeks are tinted red.

"Draco," she breathes.

He nods and swallows, his throat bobbing up and down as he does so.

May be it was the adrenaline, or just their situation, but Hermione doesn't care. She leans in a little closer, until their foreheads are almost touching.

Draco removes that ' _almost_ ', and closes the distance between their foreheads. He's warm and soft, but yet so tough as he swipes his thumb across her cheekbones gently.

Hermione swallows thickly and slides her hands from his wrists to wrap them around his forearms. Dear God, she cannot fight the thoughts that are going through her head. The smell of aftershave hits her nose and she loses it all.

He exhales a shaky breath which she inhales, and then she's leaning towards him even more.

Their noses touch, and she tilts her head. Breathing heavily, she throws caution to the wind as she closes every distance between them. His lips meet hers, and it's just a brush, really, but Hermione's world falls apart and she loses all sense.

One of her hands inches towards his neck, and she tilts his head, angling him better. He let's out a groan and then he's kissing her. It's slow and soft, and comforting in a way words could never be. His hands rest below her ear, his thumbs caressing her cheeks as their breaths mingle. His lips are warm and soft, and he tastes like honey and comfort.

She pulls her arms away and wraps them around his waist, while one of his hands travels down her back, fingers running down her spine, pulling her as close as two bodies could get in this position.

And now she can feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

He bites, sucks and licks and sweet Merlin, she's fading. His tongue swipes over her bottom lip and she moans in pleasure. Tongue meets tongue and that's all what remains.

It's strange, but it's _home_.

When the need to draw oxygen becomes too much, Draco places a chaste kiss on her lips, sucking lightly before pulling away completely. They're both breathless and panting, their hearts heavy in their chests, and lips swollen. The silence looms above them like a dark cloud and Hermione licks her lips, saving the memory of him.

They're still holding onto each other; His hands on her face and hers around his back. His fingers caress her face lightly before they're gone altogether.

"Get some sleep, Granger," he whispers, and his voice is raspy and harsh. She finds solace in the fact that he's breathing harder than she is.

 **ooo**

The rays of light hit Hermione's closed eyelids and she rolls over, covering her eyes. Flinching in discomfort, she cracks an eye open and blinks several times. Her neck feels too stiff- which it should, considering that it's almost at right angles with the rest of her body. She doesn't know what possessed her-

 _Oh._

 _Oh._

The events of last night come rushing back, and a bucket of ice cold water washes over her. Her cheeks turn a deep shade of red and she bites her bottom lip.

 _Oh God, what is she supposed to do now?_

She sits upright, scratching the back of her neck. Looking towards her right, she finds Draco looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Morning," she says awkwardly.

He cocks his head to one side, but says nothing as he takes a bite of his green apple.

She stands up and stretches, moaning as she does so.

 _Okay, it's not THAT awkward._

"I'm going to use the bathroom," she says as she opens her bag and gathers her toiletries.

"Change your appearance first, Granger," Draco says.

"Of course," she replies, pretending to have remembered this very important task.

And _of course_ he doesnt buy it, because he smirks in response. Her cheeks turn crimson and she turns away.

Altering her features, she walks around the corner, and comes to a halt in front of a cafe. Looking here and there for the Durmstrang Trio, Hermione enters the cafe and walks straight towards the bathroom, ignoring the confused look on the cashier's face.

 **ooo**

Hermione is busy chewing on her peach when Draco stands up, wand clutched tightly in his hand.

"What?" She asks as she looks up at him.

"Krum is near. I can hear him," he says, his gaze focused at the far end of the alley.

And Hermione finds herself wishing for what had happened the first time Krum was here.

"Change your features then, Malfoy," she scowls at him, standing up as well.

Draco's grip eases on his wand as he brings it to his face to cast a few spells. She hates it; altering his angelic features. His hair turns brown and eyes turn blue. His skin darkens a few shades and she can see the freckles forming around his nose.

He looks like a mixture of herself, Harry and Ron.

She giggles into the back of her hand.

Draco scowls at her. "Think I look funny, do you?"

She only chuckles harder.

"Well, for your information, Granger, you look hideous," he drawls.

It was true, she knew. But the prospect of telling him that he looked the Golden Trio itself was...

"You think they've figured it out?" Says a voice that's neither his nor hers.

It was Krum's.

Hermione jumps and Draco fixes her with a glare.

Someone snorts before saying, "Of course. Why else do you think they left the town?"

"Claudia," Draco says with an ugly twist of his lips. Mind you, the twist is ugly... Not his mouth.

"Who knows? Hermione Granger is with them. She could be saving their arses," says the third one, their voices growing louder and louder, and Hermione's heart beating faster and faster, because Draco is walking towards her.

She holds her breath as he opens his mouth. "Get into your sleeping bag," he whispers. Hermione looks at him, confused. "What? Why?!"

He let's out an exasperated sigh. "Just do as I say, Granger," he gently pushes her back.

She complies and lies down, pulling the zipper up and close. Draco crouches beside her, his back to the entrance of the alley, and raises a hand before dropping it back to his side.

"Herm-ninny would never do that. She hates those death eaters," Krum says, his voice heavy with confidence.

"What's to say that she hasn't changed her mind?" It's Claudia.

"I know her very well," Krum says proudly, his voice fading as he walks away.

Hermione pokes her head out and looks at Draco.

He's already looking at her.

"Looks like Krum knows too much about you," he says sarcastically.

"He does, doesn't he?" She teases, a tiny smile playing at her lips.

Draco clicks his tongue off the roof of his mouth. "Didn't know you hated me so much, Granger," he says. "I'm wounded"

She laughs and crawls out of her sleeping bag, and sits right in front of him. She folds her legs and sits on them.

"I never hated you," she whispers.

His eyes widen, and the surprise is evident in them.

 ** _What do you think will happen next?_**

 ** _Review Review Review!! xx_**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** An early update because of a lovely reviewer! I try my best to write as much as I can, but I'm in school and sometimes the pressure becomes too much to handle. I thank you all for being so patient with me!

P.s We have crossed a 100 reviews, and I'm over the moon x

* * *

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

 _"I never hated you," she whispers._

 _His eyes widen, and the surprise is evident in them._

* * *

"I despised you, loathed you, but never hated you," she clarifies with a grin.

Draco narrows his eyes. " How very noble of you, Granger," he drawls. "I'm flattered to hear you use the past tense"

Hermione bites her tongue. Literally.  
"My bad, Malfoy. Let me correct myself," she clears her throat and sits up straighter. "I despise you, I loathe you, but I don't hate you," she says and she's grinning from ear to ear.

Draco huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "I'm honoured," he drawls. "Pray tell why you're cancelling out hatred?" He asks.

"Because," she begins. "Hate is a strong word. A very, _very_ strong word. It's the devil's path and only brings destruction upon us. It corrupts us. It's an illusion conjured by one's own mind. You cannot ever truly hate someone, because hating someone would mean that you want them gone- dead, and that's just against the rules of humanity."

Draco clasps his hands together and rests his chin on top of them. Leaning a bit forward, he narrows his eyes as he says, "Don't tell me you never hated the Dark Lord, because that would be just plain lies".

Hermione snorts, her heart rate accelerating because of their close proximity. "He wasn't even human. The Voldemort we faced was just 1/7th of the soul of Tom Riddle."

Draco surprises her by grinning a little. " How about...," he clears his throat. "Aunt Bellatrix?" His expression turns back to neutral.

Hermione's mouth drops a little.

Aunt Bellatrix.

 _Aunt_ Bellatrix.

She was _his aunt._

"Granger," he snaps his fingers in front of her face. "Forget about it," he says, looking slightly alarmed because she knew she was turning pale.

"Aunt," she whispers and lifts her eyes to meet his, wide and glossy.

Draco sighs. "I cannot change my blood relations, Granger."

"Would you?" She whispers. "If you had the chance to choose a family...would you- would you still choose to be a Malfoy?" Her chest contricts.

He cocks his head to one side, studying her face. "Of course," he replies without hesitation. " But I'd rather not have her as my aunt," he says as he scratches the back of his neck.

"Were you close to her?" She asks and sniffs.

Draco scoffs. " If being tortured by her counts as being close to her, then I was practically stuck to her at the hip," and then his eyes widen as he realises that he's let slip something that he doesn't want her to know.

"She tortured you?" Hermione cannot help but gasp. "But- but you're her nephew! How could she-"

"Were, Granger," he corrects.  
"I _was_ that witch's nephew. Now she's gone. Dead."

"And rightfully so," she says.

"Is that hatred I see in your eyes?" He asks with an upturn of his lips into the famous Malfoy smirk.

"Absolu- _Hey!"_ She scowls. "I have every right to hate her."

Draco tsks. "Now you're just contradicting your own words, Granger."

"Fine, we can hate some people. But only some...people like her...," she shivers and her teeth chatter as a particularly chilly wind hits them.

Draco leans back and reaches his arm out to grab his blanket. He throws it at her and she catches it, her heart soaring. "It's cold," he says. She blushes as she wraps his blanket around herself, and then offers half of it to him. He gives her a smug look, but even his nose and cheeks are turning red.

Shuffling closer, he turns around and sits right next to her, resting his back against the wall. Hermione instinctively scoots closer to him, and lifts the blanket invitingly. She feels Draco exhale a breath, and then he's gently taking the corner of the blanket from her, and covering himself.

Hermione hums and looks up at the sky; all dark and grey. No stars are visible, but she turns her head towards where she thinks the Dragon constellation might be, and smiles before falling asleep- but not before gently letting her head fall onto his shoulder.

* * *

Their little nap ends way too soon for her liking, and Hermione almost pouts as she lifts her head off his shoulder, blushing a deep shade of red.

He doesn't seem to mind though, because he's asleep too.

She cranes her neck to look at him, and sighs in contentment. He's the most beautiful man she has ever come across, and it warms her heart to know that she has managed to break the unbreakable wall between them.

She remembers their first day of the tournament. They had fought, obviously. And now? Now she loves their playful banter more than anything else.

She wonders what she'll tell Harry and Ron- if- something happens between her and the blond. Ginny would be ecstatic, she knows, and she smiles at that. Because it feels good to know that you have someone by your side even if they're not physically present with you.

Lost in her own thoughts, Hermione misses the opening of pale eyelids, revealing grey orbs.

"It's rude to stare, Granger," he says, his voice hoarse.

Hermione jerks back to reality and blushes hard under his scrutinizing gaze. "I wasn't staring," she lies.

"And I wasn't sleeping," he replies.

That shuts her up.

"Oh," she says.

"Oh," he repeats and his lips curve into a lazy smile. And by God, she loves it.

She feels herself turning red for no reason at all.

"We're so careless," she gasps suddenly.

Draco raises his brow questioningly.

"We were taking a nap out here in the open. What if someone had seen us?"

" _You_ were taking a nap, Granger," Draco emphasizes. "I wasn't sleeping," he repeats himself.

Hermione bites her lower lip and furrows her eyebrows. She wants to ask why his eyes were closed then, but stops because she knows then he'll point out that she was, indeed, watching him.

"Go ahead. Spit it out," he says, smirking slightly.

Hermione half-heartedly glares at him. "We're nowhere near figuring the clue out, Malfoy," she changes the topic.

Draco sighs. "I have a plan," he says.

"What is it?"

"We should follow Krum," he says.

Hermione chuckles, and then stops abruptly when she realises that he's serious.

"You're serious?" She asks.

He nods.

"Like, for real?"

He nods again.

Hermione leans towards him and places her palm flat on his forehead. "No fever," she states as she pulls her hand away.

She wonders where she got the courage to that from. Even Draco seems to be thinking the same, because he's watching her- like- staring at her.

Her palm is still tingling.

"I'm perfectly serious, Granger. Think about it. They think we've already figured out the clue, so they're probably working their arses off to find the God damned shoe. If we follow them, we can get some answers, and we won't even have to do work," he explains, looking extremely happy at the prospect of not having to do work.

Hermione nods her head the entire time, liking his plan.

"Or," she begins. "We could place a tracking charm on his wand. This way we wouldn't even be in direct danger by being near him all the time," her eyes are practically beaming now.

Draco nods, his lips stretching into a grin. " And how do you suppose we put the tracking charm on his wand? We will need his wand for that, you know that right?"

"Of course," she replies. "Leave that to me," and she smirks at him, rendering him speechless.

"What are you going to do?" He asks.

"I'm a woman, Malfoy," she says, and that's answer enough.

 **A/N:** _A short chapter because next one is going to be a spicy one ;) Review! Review! Review!_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** I love hearing from you guys! You make me excited to keep writing, so thank you!

* * *

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

 **Day Twenty Seven**

"Are you sure about this, Granger?" Draco hisses in her ear. Hermione turns her head around a little to scowl at him. "Don't doubt my skills, Malfoy."

"I'm not doubting your skills, but you're underestimating their's," he replies.

"Shush," she says. "I think that's him," she points towards a man, who was, indeed, Viktor Krum.

"That is," Draco sneers.

"Control your emotions, Malfoy, and stay close by at all times," she whispers where she knows he's standing. "And don't forget to cast the disillusionment charm again. Also," she continues, ignoring his groan of impatience, "Make sure you don't bump into anyone, Malfoy. They're all muggles."

"Are you done?" he asks. "Because he's moving."

Hermione quickly runs her hand through her soft blond curls and straightens her spine. She begins to walk towards Krum, swaying her hips slightly. _Just slightly_ , because Draco was walking behind her.

She puts on a mask of confusion as she approaches Krum. "Excuse me?" She says.

He turns around and eyes her from head to toe, and back from her toes up to her head.

A pale, petite, and blond-haired beauty was standing in front of him.

"Yes?"

"I..." she feigns innocence, when in reality all she wants to do is poke him in the eye.

"I'm looking for a place to eat. Do you happen to know any?" She tucks a lose lock of hair behind her ear for extra effect.

He stares at her form, and Hermione squirms under his heated gaze. And to think that this man was her first kiss. Absolutely ridiculous, _terrifyingly ridiculous._

"There's a McDonald's here just around that block," he points somewhere behind them.

 _I fucking know that_ , she wants to yell, but ends up saying, "Could you walk me there- if you don't mind, of course," she grits her teeth and fakes a shy smile.

His face lights up. "Of course. That wouldn't be a problem."

He begins to lead her and she bites her tongue when he places his palm flat against her back. She hears Draco let out a low growl.

"What was that?" Krum asks. "Did you hear that?"

Hermione swallows. She feels the familiar tingle of magic in her abdomen and then her stomach grumbles.

 _You are so dead, Draco Malfoy._

Krum has the decency to blush. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were _that_ hungry."

Hermione grimaces in response.

"So," he begins. "Where are you from?"

Her stomach grumbles again, and she's saved from answering the question.

He gives her a look of pity, and she pretends to look excited when they come across the large 'M' sign.

He ushers her in, his hand never leaving her back. She wants to cut it off.

"Wait here," he says as he makes her sit. She nods, and smiles at him.

He leaves her and then comes back with a menu in his hands. "What would you like to eat?" He asks.

"One Fish fillet combo and one beef combo- if you don't mind, of course," and she wants to smirk at the baffled look on his face.

"It's no big deal," he says and then leaves. Hermione breathes a sigh of relief and leans back.

"Git," she hears Draco mutter under his breath, and she almost gasps, because he sounds near. Too near.

Unfortunately, Krum returns way too soon for her liking, and takes a seat across from her.

She dives into the food, not caring about what he thought because she actually was hungry.

Once she's done with her Fish burger, she places the beef combo in a paper bag.

"I'm too full to eat anymore right now," she says, hoping that Draco had accomplished the task, because Krum's wand is right in her line of view, inside the front pocket of his thick brown robe.

Draco's fingertips graze her hands, letting her know that the task was done. She genuinely smiles then, and says, "Thank you so much."

"Please think nothing of it," he replies.

"That's very generous of you," she says.

"You could repay me," he muses. She tries to control her frantic heart.

She doesn't have enough muggle money to throw at his face.

"And I don't mean by money," he says.

Her pale ears turn red. "I'm not that type of a girl," she says.

"I didn't mean anything big. Just a kiss perhaps?"

She blanches. _What_?!

"Why?" she blurts out.

"Because you're beautiful," he says as he takes a step towards her.

"I..." she tries to work her brain up. "No," she says.

"Please?" he pleads and then he's pressed up against her.

Fog clouds her brain and all she can think is, _yes yes yes_.

"Yes," she breathes.

Krum grins at her and then leans down for a kiss. A crack is heard in the air and Krum falls on his back. Hermione feels Draco lift her hand in the air, closing it into a fist, when in reality he had been the one to punch Krum square on his jaw.

Hermione shakes her head, trying to comprehend what the hell had just happened.

Krum grunts on the ground, and she flees the scene, and invisible, but heavy foot steps follow her.

She only stops when in the safety of _the alley_ , and hunches over and begins to pant, dropping the paper bag on the ground.

Draco lifts the disillusionment charm off, and then wards the alley. She gasps when he looks at her. Because he looks like a predator.

And she feels like a prey.

"Malfoy," she says as she straightens up.

He's panting and his skin is flushed red even though it is 5°. He's just staring at her.

"Draco?" She tries.

"You were going to kiss him," he lifts an accusing finger at her, still breathing heavily.

"I... _what?"_ She whispers, but doesn't have the chance to think as Draco let's out a low growl. And before her brain could even register what's happening, her back hits the wall as Draco pushes her against it.

Her eyes are wide as she stares up at him, and his eyes are narrowed as he stares down at her.

He moves even closer, pressing his body into hers. She gasps inaudibly and braces her hands on his shoulders.

They're both breathing heavily, and Hermione can feel his heart thundering against her chest.

" _Fuck_ _this_ _shit,_ " Draco growls, and then without warning, his lips come crashing down on hers. Hermione gasps against his mouth, and her grip tightens around his shoulders. One of his hands comes to rest on the side of her neck, while the other cups her face.

The warmth of his presence makes her forget about the cold around them and she wraps her arms around his neck, tugging him closer still. He groans against her mouth, and then his lips are gone. She opens her eyes wide, and tries to mask the disappointment in them.

Without releasing her, Draco grabs his wand and waves it over her form. And then he stares at her.

The blond beauty is gone and she's back to Hermione Granger.

"Fucking muh-", he cuts himself off by pressing his lips firmly to hers. She feels more contented this time, because _this_ is her. He wraps one arm around her back and pulls her flush against his chest, and his other hand inches towards her hair. He tangles his fingers in her curls, and she bucks against him, eliciting a low growl from him.

His lips move with hers in perfect sync and he cradles her head in his hand, angling her even better. She curls her fingers into the collars of his coat and he runs his tongue over the seam of her lips. A soft gasp escapes her, giving him the opportunity to slip past her lips.

The gentle tease of his tongue against hers sends a shiver straight down her spine and she melts against him. Nothing had ever felt so... _right_ before in her life.

His velvety tongue glides across her own, taking its time to explore her mouth. They're both pressed up together like a single body, and she has never felt more...whole.

She moans at the loss of his mouth as he pulls away, but sighs as he begins to kiss his way towards her jaw and then down to the hollow of her throat.

He sucks and nibbles on it, and Hermione could've cried. It feels so good. So _fucking_ good.

He leaves a trail of kisses up her throat, and then his lips are back on hers. This time, she takes control.

She grabs his face in both hands and pulls his face as close as she possibly can, and her cold fingertips tease the hair at the nape of his neck. He grinds against her, and she moans out loud.

They have to stop or things would escalate pretty quickly...But She doesn't want to... Stop, that is.

His hand inches towards her chest, but she grabs it in her own and intertwines their fingers together. He let's out a sigh and she kisses him until she feels dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

She pulls away, breathing heavily, but doesn't remove her hands from his face.

He pants against her, his breath fanning her face. His face is flushed, lips swollen, and hair tousled. She couldn't possibly love him any more than she already did.

He let's out a long sigh and then rests his forehead against hers. He hasn't let go yet, and she hangs onto this tiny thread of hope.

One of his arms is still wrapped around her back and the other is resting on her waist. Her hands are still cupping his face.

"Draco," she whispers his name.

He inhales deeply and closes his eyes, but doesn't say anything.

Then, he wraps both of his arms around her waist and nuzzles his nose into the side of her neck. Hermione lets out a breathy little sigh and copies him, enveloping him into a hug.

She doesn't know what this means...if it means anything at all.

 _ **Eeeek! I love me some angry kissing against a wall. Gahhh! What do you guys think will happen next?**_

 _ **P.s someone asked where Theo is. Well, he's staying at the Malfoy's summer home in case something were to happen to H or D. (I wanted D/H to be alone for a little while ;)) REVIEW!**_


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** You guys are lovely! Thank you so much for your support x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Eighteen**

After what seems like an eternity, Draco pulls away and let's go of her. Hermione steps back, her hands falling limply to her sides.

She licks her swollen lips, her throat running dry. "Draco," she whispers his name again and looks at him in the eyes.

He lifts his face a little, and keeps his eyes trained on hers.

"I didn't kiss him," she says, her voice shaking slightly, because her heart is still beating way too fast.

"I was about to push him away, but then he did something. I'm pretty sure it was something quite similar to the Imperius, but it wasn't it. One moment I wanted to punch him in the face, and the next all I wanted to do was kiss him. This...That wasn't me...He did something, Draco, I would never want to kiss him," she doesn't know why she's rambling, or why she can feel tears forming in her eyes.

Draco finally exhales a breath and uses his index finger to tip her chin up. "I believe you," he says. "But you shouldn't be clarifying this to me," he clears his throat and pulls his hand away.

"Oh," Hermione says, covering her disappointment. She had thought he was jealous, and considering that they'd just snogged for an hour, she had felt the need to justify what had almost happened with Krum.

"Oh," she repeats and the fire is back. "Right," she says, louder this time. "Guess I was wrong then," she lets out a teary chuckle and clenches her fists.

Draco turns away from her, but she's quicker and she grabs his arm, hauling him back to where he was. "Wha-"

"Shut up," she snarls at him. "I will do the talking now, Draco Malfoy," she hisses at him, poking his chest with her index finger.

"You listen to me, and listen well," she whispers fiercely at him, moving her face closer. "I'm not a fucking toy," she hisses and punctuates each word with a poke.

The fact that his face is a mask of indifference only adds to the raging fire, and Hermione explodes.

"Just who do you think you are?" She yells at him, eyes tearing up a bit.

He narrows his eyes at her, but remains silent.

"Draco Malfoy," she yells. "Answer me!"

"Stop acting like a child, Granger," he says. She can see the vein throbbing on his forehead.

"I'm acting like a child?" She asks incredulously, and then explodes.

" ** _I'm_** acting like a child? You bastard, how dare you?! How dare you come up to me, kiss me, make me feel everything I shouldn't be feeling for you, and then toss me away like I'm a useless...a useless toy!" Her chest heaves and his eyes follow the rise and fall of it. Blush creeps up her neck, but she keeps herself steady.

"I'm up here, Malfoy," she snarls at him.

He looks up at her, and then swallows.

"You stopped me," he whispers, and it's anything but soft. It's aggressive and possessive.

"What?"

"You ended the kiss, Granger. The kiss that **_I_** initiated," he replies.

"So you're salty over the fact that I stopped kissing you? I stopped because I couldn't breathe, you moron. Did you expect us to keep kissing all day?" She asks and her cheeks turn red.

"Nevermind, Granger," he turns away from her, but she grabs his arm.

"Stop," she says. " We need to clear this."

"Clear what?"

"This...," she motions between the two of them.

"What about us, Granger?"

"Exactly. What about us?"

"What do you want?" He asks with a heavy sigh.

"Honestly?" She asks.

He nods his head, slow and steady.

"I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want to," she admits with a blush staining her cheeks, but her facial expression remains serious.

His brows hike up and disappear into his hairline.

"That's a bad idea and you know it, Granger. _We_ are a bad idea," he says.

"How can you possibly know that without trying?!"

"Because you're Hermione Granger and I'm Draco Malfoy," he hisses at her.

"What difference does that make?!"

"It makes every difference in the world. You're fucking noble and pure and...and everything that I'm not!"

"You aren't a bad person, Draco Malfoy!" She yells at his face, her own turning red due to anger.

"What do you know about me, Granger?" He snarls at her. "What the fuck do you know about me?!"

She flinches a bit, but stays rooted to the spot. "I know enough," she whispers.

"No you don't!" He yells.

"Well then too bad, Draco Malfoy," she yells. "Because I cannot change what I feel for you!"

Silence ensues, and Hermione wants to pitch herself off a cliff.

 _Feel_?

"Feel?" He asks, his eyes narrowing. "What the fuck do you feel for me, Granger? Pity? Sympathy? I'm not one of your lost causes!"

"I didn't mean it that way," she whispers and turns away.

"Then tell me, Hermione, what did you mean?" He asks exasperatedly.

When she remains silent, Draco lets out a shaky exhale and turns around and leaves the alley, leaving her alone.

Hermione slides to the ground and cries.

 **ooo**

It's a after a while that she hears approaching footsteps. Hermione hastily wipes her eyes and looks up. A very dishevelled looking Draco is standing in front of her. His skin looks as pale as snow, and his hair is tousled by the winter wind. He shrugs off his robe and throws it on the ground. Hermione sniffs, catching a whiff of his scent as his robe lands next to her.

"Granger," he calls, his voice hoarse like he's been screaming.

"What, Malfoy?" she asks wihtout looking at him.

"Stand up," he says. When she glares at him, he adds, "Please."

She huffs out a breath and stands up, dusting her hands on her robe.

"Come here," he holds out his hand.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "What the hell are you playing at, Malfoy?"

"Just come here!" he sighs.

Hermione walks closer to him, but doesn't take his hand.

"Oh fucking hell," he mutters as he grabs her around the waist and pulls her flush against him.

She yelps in surprise and braces her hands on his shoulders.

"Malfoy," she tries to warn, but he silences her by gently covering her lips with his own. Fireworks explode in her chest and she all but loses herself to him.

He pulls away all to soon, and Hermione is ready to fire back when he speaks.

"I want to be able to do this," he breathes against her face. "And this," he says, moving his hands up to cup her face. "This as well," he kisses her cheeks and then the tip of her nose. "This would be an added bonus," he says before leaning down and kissing down the column of her throat and then sucking on her pulse point.

"Wha?" she says breathlessly, unable to form coherent words.

"I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want to, Granger," he whispers against her cheek, his hot breath making her dizzy.

Her eyes widen slightly. "Are you sure?" she asks, but her hands are already weaving their way into his blond hair.

"I am. But don't tell me I didn't warn you," he pants against her as she pulls him closer.

"The blame is on me," she says, pulling his head down and kissing him square on the mouth.

 **Day Twenty Eight**

"First things first. I need to know how Krum cursed me," Hermione says

"He knows wandless magic," Draco supplies.

"And he didn't even say any incantation" she bites her lower lip in worry.

"What if he knows about our tracking charm?" she asks suddenly.

"You mean my tracking charm?" he asks with a smug look on his face. "You don't have to worry about that. I made sure to erase my magical signatures."

Hermione nods and pulls her wand out from her pocket.

"Expecto Patronum," she says and watches as a silver otter bursts out of the tip her wand and raises its head at her. She turns to look at Draco in time to see the look of longing on his face.

No death eater had ever been able to perform the patronus charm- except Severus Snape.

"Go to Theo and tell him that we've placed a tracking charm on Krum's wand. Tell him it won't be long now," she says, and the otter nods before gliding away and disappearing into thin air.

Draco awkwardly clears his throat and diverts his gaze.

"I can show you how to...some time...you know.." Hermione leaves her offer hanging in the air between them.

He turns his icy glare towards her and his lips curl up into a sneer.

"Draco, no- stop!" she lifts her hand up to stop him from spitting venom at her. She doesn't think she can handle that now.

"You don't have to be ashamed in front of me, you know?" she whispers.

"My my, Granger. You really think so highly of yourself, don't you?" he sneers.

Hermione scowls at him. "Pull out your wand, Draco Malfoy," she challenges him.

He narrows his eyes at her. "This is not happening, Granger," he drawls.

"Scared, Malfoy?" she asks with a smirk that could rival his own, and just for a second, his lips twitch upwards into a smile.

"You wish, Granger," he repeats what had been Potter's response in their second year at Hogwarts.

"Think of your happiest memory," she says.

He looks at her, giving her a strange look. "Can we leave for the night?" he asks out of nowhere.

"Leave for the night?" she asks. "Where to?"

"Give me your hand," he mutters.

She frowns. "But where are we going?" she asks.

"Shut up for once, will you?" he says and grabs both of their bags and slings them over his shoulder.

Hermione gives him a funny look and grabs their sleeping bags. "This better be good, Malfoy."

He only shrugs in response, and she sighs before grabbing his arm. The familiar pulling sensation of apparitition engulfs them, and then they're gone.

 **A/N:** ** _That beef combo was for Draco, which he probably ate late at night when he thought Hermione wasn't watching :P It just wasn't fitting well in this chapter, so I thought I'd clear any confusion that you guys might have :))_**

 ** _Also, any guesses for the next chapter? ;)_**

 ** _Please Review!!!!_**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Have I mentioned how much I love you all? Thank you so very much for your lovely reviews. I love hearing from you guys! x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

As soon as the feeling of nausea passes, Hermione opens her eyes and gasps. She lets go of Draco's arm and takes a good look at her surroundings. They're standing in an isolated park. The ground is completely covered with a thick blanket of snow, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and are covered by thousands of tiny snowflakes. There's no sign of a human nearby and that's when she remembers the other being who's with her.

"Where are we?" she asks him, too awestruck.

"Somewhere in Scotland," he replies and shoves his hands deep inside his pockets.

"It's beautiful here," she breathes as the snow begins to fall. He remains silent, watching her intently.

"Mum and dad always took me out for the first snowfall of the season," she tells him. "That's until I went to Hogwarts. Then Harry and Ron carried on with this little tradition," she turns towards him.

He lifts his hands up as if to surrender. "This isn't the first snow of the season, Granger. Don't get all sappy on me."

She laughs then, and shakes her head. "I won't."

"Good."

"...Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," she tells him sincerely. For a moment his lips twitch into a half smile, but then he stretches them into a full smirk.

"I wonder what you're thanking me for..." he muses as he bends down and grabs a handful of snow.

Hermione, clearly understanding what he's about to do, moves away from him.

"You don't want to do that, Malfoy, trust me," she tries to warm, but squeaks when he hurls a snowball at her, hitting her on the shoulder.

"Now you watch!" she yells as she, too, grabs as much snow she can in a fist and balls it with both of her hands.

"Bring it on, Granger!" he replies and then something hard lands directly on top of her head. Melting snow dribbles down her cheeks and soaks her scarf.

"Aghh!" she screams as her warm scarf becomes ice cold. "You'll regret this, Malfoy!"

She hurls her perfect snowball at him, and groans when he dodges it easily.

"Is that all you've got?" he yells at her.

She flicks snow off her face and throws him a playful glare. Picking up more snow, she begins to launch snowball after snowball at him, catching him by surprise. Finally one lands on his neck and he lets out an 'ouch' of surprise. Hermione laughs as she takes in the sight of him.

"Time out, Granger," he calls as he begins to remove his muffler. Hermione stares at him while he's not looking, finding this whole situation to be completely bizarre but so so ideal. She watches as snow delicately falls onto Draco's shoulders, and as the snowflakes settle into his perfect blond hair and then disappear.

He looks up and smirks when he catches her openly staring at him. She's too busy gazing at the sight in front of her that she doesn't even notice when Draco looks at her- and when he bends down to grab a fistful of snow.

He walks towards her with slow, purposeful strides, and Hermione shakes her head once as she realises that she has been caught. Her cheeks turn red and her breathing quickens. Draco comes to a stop when he's directly in front of her and looks down at her.

Hermione is so entranced by his eyes that look so much like their surroundings at the moment, that she fails to notice as he brings his hand up to smack a huge snowball onto her cheek.

Hermione jerks back to reality and let's out a cry of surprise. "You sneaky jerk!" she sputters.

Draco laughs at her and bends down to pick up more snow.

"Time out," she says.

He shakes his head, tsking. "You have 10 seconds, Granger." he smirks.

"What?" she asks, baffled.

"One," he begins.

"That's unfair," she pouts.

"Two," he continues pointedly.

"Prat," she mumbles and begins to run.

"Three. Here I come, Granger." And then Draco Malfoy is running after her.

"What?!" she yells over her shoulder. "This is foul play, Malfoy," she chides as she runs around a tiny hill of snow.

"I never said I'm a fair player, Granger," he replies, soon catching up with her. He grabs her around her waist, making her squeal, and picks her up.

"Draco Malfoy!" she laughs. "You put me down this instant!"

He lets go of the snow in his hands, making it run down Hermione's pants . "I don't think I will," he replies before he begins to spin them both, making Hermione laugh like a teenager in love- which she was.

"Draco!" she exclaims and grabs his arms that are wrapped around her middle.

Huffing and a little out of breath, Draco stops and Hermione plants her feet in the snow. They both stay like this for a few seconds, catching their breaths, before Hermione turns around in Draco's arms and buries her face into the crook of his neck.

Draco sighs before wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. Hermione inhales the scent of aftershave before she pulls away. "This was nice," she admits softly.

"Yeah," he swallows. "It was."

Hermione gives him a small smile before standing on the tips of her toes and capturing his lips with her own in a sweet kiss.

When they pull away, Draco pulls one of his hands out of her curls and grabs his wand.

Looking at her in the eyes, he waves his wand and says, "Expecto Patronum."

Hermione watches with a lump in her throat as a silvery light surges from the tip of his wand and takes form.

It takes the form of an otter.

Her throat running dry, Hermione hopes against hope that Draco does not know the significance of this. And when she looks in front and stares into his eyes, she knows that he's clueless.

His face breaks into a grin and he puts his wand down, causing the otter to vanish into thin air.

"That was..." he says.

"Brilliant," she offers with a weak smile, because her heart is thundering inside her chest.

"Yeah," he breathes. "Yeah," his scent hits her, calming her rushing thoughts.

She swallows uneasily and Draco looks down at her with a silly smile, which makes her insides squirm.

"Thank you," he whispers.

"I didn't do anything," she says softly.

"But you did," he tells her and then looks away.

She blushes in spite of herself and bites her lower lip.

"Should we- should we go back?" She asks hesitantly.

"If you want to," he replies.

"I think I'd like to stay here for the night."

And the smile he gives her in return makes it all worth it.

 **Day Twenty Nine**

Hermione wakes up first. The sunrays struggle to move past the thick grey clouds and it almost looks like as if its night. She checks her watch and her mouth forms an 'O'. Looking towards her right, she finds Draco sleeping peacefully in his sleeping bag.

She smiles as the memories of last night resurface, but frowns when she remembers the form that his patronus had taken.

Otter.

His patronus was an otter; just like hers. But how was that possible? People who had the same patronus were meant to be in love. Sure she loved him, but did he? Of course not. Even the idea was ludicrous. But for his patronus to have the same form as hers, he had to be in love with her.

She shakes her head. It just wasn't adding up. Something was amiss. May be they weren't so different afterall. May be it's because they were more alike than they let on.

Yes, that made sense.

"Stop thinking, Granger. I can hear your brain's engine steaming in my dream." Draco mumbles.

She laughs softly. "Its what I do, Malfoy."

He sighs and sits up, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Nearly 10."

His eyes widen. "We better get going then."

"Yeah," she says, standing up and gathering her stuff.

"Fuck," he swears.

"What?" She whirls around to face him, eyes wide.

"The wards around the alley were breached," he says, waving his wand around.

"Lets go then," she says. "What are you doing?" She watches, confused, as he pockets his wand after waving it in the air.

"It got too hot," he mumbles. Hermione approaches him and grabs his hand, giving it a squeeze.

He nods at her and bends down to grab his sleeping bag, before disapparating them.

Whatever they were expecting to find, this certainly wasn't it. A very crossed looking McGonagall was looming over a scowling Theodore Nott.

"Professor!" Hermione says, pleasantly surprised to see her.

McGonagall turns around and her eyes soften. Theo breathes out in relief, shuffling backwards.

"Where on earth were you both?" She asks them sternly.

Hermione's cheeks turn red. Thankfully, Draco saves her. "I took her to see snowfall," he tells McGonagall, who raises her brows.

" _Snowfall_?" She asks, baffled.

"And why in Merlin's name was Mr Nott residing in a posh villa?" She questions, tapping her foot.

Hermione grimaces, and Theo flinches. Draco maintains his posture, his face neutral.

"Let me explain, Professor," Hermione begins.

"I dont want any explanations, Ms Granger. But i do want you to know that I expected better from you. You of all people shouldn't have gone against the rules. I noticed your first disappearance, and I had to do a lot to cover it up and keep it hidden from the Head of Magical Games Department. But...this is unacceptable. I cannot allow you to apparate in and out of the places assigned to you. This is the last time I'm covering up for you three."

Hermione's ears turn red with embarassment. "We're sorry, Professor," she mumbles.

"I dont want any repeats- and Mr Nott, please stop scowling at the back of my head." McGonagall replies.

Hermione hides a grin when Theo's scowl deepens.

McGonagall sighs and regards Draco with curiosity. "Good luck, you three. We are expecting you to win," she finally smiles at them. "Oh," she adds. "I was never here." And then she disapparates.

A slow grin forms on Hermione's face, making Draco smirk.

He bites his tongue and makes his way over to the other man.

Patting his shoulder, he says, "Good to have you back, tosser."

"Its good to be back, Drakie poo," Theo smirks.

They both turn around at a tapping sound and find Hermione tapping her foot on the ground, her arms crossed over her chest.

Theo observes them both with growing interest.

Hermione smiles at Theo. "Good to have you back, Theo. At least now I'll have someone who's half as witty as me."

Theo smirks, bowing his head mockingly. "Hey!" Draco scowls.

"What?"

"I'm not dimwitted."

"I never said you were."

"But you most certainly implied that I was."

"No! I only said Theo has half-"

"Oh," Draco interrupts her, smirking. "So that was a jibe to Theo's wit, not mine."

"Smooth, Malfoy," she snorts.

Theo only scowls at them, but he knows something has definitely changed between the two. Now he just needed to get Draco alone.

 **A/N:** Okay guys, I need some help! Please tell me what you'd like to see more in this story. Do you want more angst or fluff, or do you want to know more about Krum/other participants? Also, suggest me some scenes that you want me to include in this story. Much love xx

 **Edit: Slight changes made after Whit96 suggested something. Thank you x**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** A short chapter because I just returned from a self-declared vacation :P Your reviews are proving to be quite motivating! I love you guys! xx

* * *

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty**

* * *

"So the old bat just waltzed into my villa?" Draco scowls. "My wards wouldn't have allowed that."

"McGonagall is a perfectly capable witch, Draco," Theo drawls in response. "She traced one of our magical signatures and apparated right outside the anti-apparition wards."

Draco huffs out a breath, shaking his head.

"Care to tell me what's going on between you and Granger?" Theo asks slyly.

Draco glares at him and glances around to make sure Hermione hasn't returned from the bathroom.

"Nothing's going on," he replies. "Nothing official, really," he mutters.

"Oh," Theo narrows his eyes. "And just what do you mean by officially?"

"Drop it, Theo," Draco says with a tone of finality.

"No," Theo counters. "I've been living alone for all these days just so you could make a move. Now I have the right to know if you accomplished something, you git."

Draco glares at him. "Keep your voice low, Theo."

Just then, Hermione saunters into the alley, and changes her appearance back to normal. "What's cooking?" She asks them, noticing the look of curiosity on Theo's face.

"Draco here was just telling me about what you both had been up to behind my back," Theo drawls, gauging her reaction carefully.

 _Aha!_ He smirks inwardly when Hermione's cheeks turn red. _Oh._

"We placed a tracking charm on Krum's wand. Malfoy here altered it a bit so if Krum goes near a portkey, Malfoy's wand will emit blue sparks."

"Oh really," Theo says, smirking at the scowling blond. "Well, that's brilliant. Let's sit and wait for Drakie Poo's wand to shoot out sparks," he mutters sarcastically.

"Who said anything about sitting and waiting?" Hermione asks, placing her hands on her hips. "We'll be disguising ourselves and then set out to look for the shoe."

"Are you sure it's a shoe?" Draco asks, speaking for the first time.

Hermione's stomach flip-flops and she grimaces. She really hated being so...easily.. _affected_.

"Pretty sure," she nods. "Let's have breakfast and then we can leave," she says, reaching inside her bag to grab an orange.

"Don't insult breakfast," Theo scowls, pulling out a pack of strawberries. "Merlin knows what I wouldn't do for a proper breakfast in bed."

Hermione's gaze flickers over to Draco, who quietly pulls out a green apple and begins to munch on it. His eyes lock onto hers and he raises an eyebrow, making her blush. She turns her head away.

 **ooo**

"Salazar's sake, Theo!" Draco hisses. "Stop looking for the god forsaken animal!"

"Hey!" Theo scowls back. "It's called a donkey, you know?" He runs a hand through his hair which actually wasn't his own hair. He had turned his hair black and unbelievably curly. He looked an awful lot like Harry Potter, too. Yuck.

"Stop," Hermione turns her head around to glare at him. Even though she's wearing sunglasses, Theo felt her glare. Merlin, women are scary creatures.

A large iron gate grabs their attention, and Draco nods his affirmation when Hermione looks at him with a questioning upturn of her lips.

They enter through the gate and a muggle security guard holds his hand up to stop them. "Arms above your head," he says gruffly.

Theo swallows uneasily. He really did not like the look in the man's eyes. "Why?" Draco snarls. Hermione grabs his arm and smiles sweetly at him.  
"Its a security check, honey," she digs her nails into his skin.

Draco clenches his jaw shut and then raises his arms, a sneer forming on his face. The guard takes his time checking all three of them and gives them a look of disgust before turning toward other people.

"Bloody muggle," Theo mutters. Hermione rolls her eyes. "Don't use magical words, Theo." She warns.

"What in Salazar's name is this?" Draco asks, pointing towards something above her head. She turns her head and finds a huge building standing there in so it's glory.

Of course! "It's a museum!" She says excitedly.

"A what?" Theo asks.

"A museum!" She says again and then grimaces when she realises her partners have zero clue as to what a museum is.

"A museum is a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited."

Theo snickers behind his hand. "Swot," he says.

"Learned that from a textbook, Granger?" Draco smirks.

Hermione huffs. "Let's go and see what's it about!"

The three of them begin to walk towards the ancient looking building, which was set on stones and thick, red bricks. The top half of the building was carved and was in the shape of a dome.

As they near the front gate, Hermione stands on the tips of her toes to take a good luck at what was inside the building. "Wait in the queue, kiddo," an old man says to her. She frowns at him and back down.

When it's their turn, a female security guard eyes the three of them, her gaze lingering on the fidgeting blond. Hermione clenches her fists.

"Which exhibition would you like to see?" She asks Draco.

Hermione turns her head away, cursing herself for letting Draco keep his hair colour. Even though he looked nothing like _Draco_ Draco, he looked quite handsome with blond hair.

"Which ones are there?" He drawls.

"Oh, we have a cultural exhibition on the left. A gem and stones exhibition through the front door, and a shoe exhibition on the right."

At "shoe exhibition," their ears stand up and they all look at each other with knowing glints in their eyes.

"The shoe exhibition, please," Hermione says, sniffing slightly as she reaches for Draco's hand. Her heart thuds loudly inside her chest as the fear of rejection blooms in her stomach; fear that he might pull away, but it all goes away when he laces his fingers through hers and gives her hand a squeeze. She could've melted into a puddle of goo.

"On the right," the lady mumbles.

Hermione gives her an evil smile before tugging Draco along towards their right. "What a show, Granger," Theo snickers. Hermione shakes her head. "some women can't keep their hands to themselves," she mutters under her breath.

"Oh really?" He drawls. "But she didn't even touch him."

"Her eyes said enough," she grumbles and feels Draco tighten his hold on her hand. When she looks at him, he's already turning his head away.

"Excuse me if I'm mistaken," Theo smirks. "But i think you're still holding his hand."

Hermione's cheeks flame and she waits for Draco to drop her hand. When he doesn't, she deflates with relief and straightens up. "Its for appearances sake," she replies.

Theo's smirk only widens in response.

 _Interesting._

 **ooo**

When they reach the shoe exhibit, Hermione searches the entire area for a shoe that might have a magical aura around it. Wand tucked safely inside their sleeves, the trio test as many shoes as they can using the spell Draco had told them about.

Unfortunately, none of the shoes on display turned out to be a portkey.

"Fucking waste of time," Theo grumbles.

Hermione groans in agreement. "But it's so fitting. I mean where else to hide a shoe if not in a shoe exhibition?"

"Its here," Draco declares.

"Where?" Theo demands.

"Right here," Draco points towards his left with a smirk.

Hermione's mouth drops open a little as she stares at the huge crystal shoe standing in the middle of the hall. How could she have missed it?!

"Oh my god," she breathes.

"OMG, indeed," Theo whispers. "Finally! Fin-fucking-ally!"

"Why, thank you," Draco drawls. "Let's go," he grabs both their hands, sending jolts of sparks running through Hermione's skin.

"Wait." Theo says. "This place is full of muggles! How are we going to do it?"

Hermione looks at Draco, who nods his head as if understanding what's going through her brain, and then looks at Theo. "We disillusion ourselves, of course," she says, smirking.

"Of course!" He half yells. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go!"

Looking around for any nosy muggles, Draco waves his wand over the three of them and steps over the "do not enter" line. He mutters a spell under his breath and a blue light begins to glow at the side of the heel. "Fucking yes!" Theo whispers excitedly. Draco smirks before placing their joined hands on the blue light. The portkey activates, and they're pulled into a whirl of nothingness.

 **Finally a change in location! Also, I missed Theo so much x) Please review! xx**

 **Note: For those of you who're following ' _A Story of Love_ ', an epilogue is on the way! **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for not updating last week, but RL has decided to be a bit tough. This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest, but I promise you that I'm trying my best to write as much as I can. For those of you who're asking about 'Pulsatio', please note that the updates will be a lot slower because right now I want 'Treasure Hunt' to be my main focus.

P.s Can I just say that I love you HPFan? This chapter is here because of you. Thank you so very much for your love! And you're not at all annoying, quite the opposite really! xx

P.p.s I dont know who you are, but you left a review as Guest. And I love you for your kind words x

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I love you guys x

* * *

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty One**

* * *

Their feet hit solid ground, and Hermione is the first one to hunch over. Draco grabs her arm as she sways, and keeps holding it till she regains her balance. "I hate portkeys," she sniifs and straightens up. Theo watches as Draco lets go of her arm and she gives him a gratfeful look. "Thanks," she mutters. Draco ignores it.

Now completely in her senses, Hermione twists her head and looks around them. Far away, she can see the bone-white mountains, and the surrounding land was all covered in snow-covered trees. She looks around them in awe, and then a sense of deja vu hits her. "Draco!" she exclaims. He looks at her like he knows whats coming and raises an eyebrow. "This is the Forest of Dean!" she exclaims excitedly.

"Seriously, Granger. All forests look exactly the same. How in Salazar's name does textbook knowledge help to you to identify them?" Theo drawls. Hermione glares at him. Draco shakes his head. "I haven't been here before," he tells her. "I have! So hopefully it'll be easier for us to navigate our way through these trees."

"You even remember the trees, woman? Merlin, you really are off your trolley," Theo says.

"I know what I see," she replies indignantly. Draco crouches down on his knees and grabs an envelope from the ground. Charmed to keep moisture away, it feels crisp and new in his hands. "The clue," he says. Theo and Hermione perk up at that and gather around him.

"Open it," Hermione prompts when he hesitates. "You can open this one. Fresh parchment and all," he smirks at her. Hermione blushes ever so slightly and snatches the envelope from his hands. Ignoring the instinct to sniff the parchment, she tears the red seal and opens it. A card falls out of it and she bends down to pick it up.

* * *

 _ **I may only be given but never bought. Sinners seek me but saints do not. What am i?**_

* * *

All three of them look at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. Hermione pulls her lower lip between her teeth and watches as Theo fidgets uncomfortably. Draco's face is blank- as usual.

"Forgiveness," Theo finally mutters.

"Forgiveness," Draco nods.

"How in Sala-fucking-zar's name are we supposed to find forgiveness in this god-forsaken place?" Theo growls frustratingly.

"Is there anything else that could be the answer to this?" Hermione asks hesitantly, fingering the hem of her jumper.

"Pleasure?" she guesses, grimacing when the two men glower at her.

"Really, Granger?" Draco asks. "And where do you suppose we find _pleasure_?"

She blushes scarlet in response and averts her gaze. "Looks like we'll have to keep searching for forgiveness then."

"McGonagall!" Theo yells. "Th'fuck are you doing?" Draco smacks him on the head and asks.

"That fat cow appeared out of nowhere when she wasn't needed. She has to come now!" Theo stomps his foot angrily and huffs.

Hermione chuckles. "You look like a cute girl, Theo," she teases. "Don't tease me, Granger!" he growls in response, making her laugh even harder. Only when Draco gives her _the look_ does she stop.

 **Day Thirty**

Resting her back against a tree bark, Hermione looks up at the sky and imagines she's with Harry and Ron, and shudders when an image of a bloodied Ron crosses her mind. Looking towards her right, she observes the blond, resting on his stomach, his fringe falling into his eyes.

Giving in the urge to brush it away, she scoots closer to him and gently raises her hand to brush the light hair away from his forehead. He snuggles deeper into his blanket, and Hermione finds herself smiling alone in the dark.

"Stop staring at me, Granger," he mumbles, and she jumps back, letting out a hiss. "Draco," she scolds with a hand over her heart. "Hermione,"he mimics, his eyes still closed. Her heart flutters inside her chest and she blushes a deep shade of crimson.

 _Hermione_

Sounds good on his tongue.

"You're still staring," he mumbles and cracks one eye open slowly. She grins at him. "I'll do whatever I please." He raises a lone brow at her and then pulls a hand out from his blanket. "Oh really?" he asks, holding his hand out for her to take. She nods her head and places her cold hand in his warm one. He tugs her closer until she's hovering above him, then uses his other hand to touch her neck. She gasps softly and he tugs her down towards his face.

"Then I'll do as I please, too," he whispers and pulls her face all the way down, connecting their lips for the first time in two days. Hermione let's out a soft breath and tangles her frozen fingers in his hair. He groans into her mouth at the sensation and nips at her bottom lip. She opens up to him and he takes every opportunity he can get. He takes everything, and he gives everything. Not even caring about their other partner who's fast asleep, the two continue to snog until blue sparks erupt in their closed eyes.

Breaking apart, Draco swipes his thumb over her bottom lip, his gaze lingering on it before falling to his blanket. "Krum found the portkey," he murmurs.

"Oh," she replies with swollen lips. "The blue sparks were from your wand," she says. He nods, swallowing as his gaze returns to her lips. "Do we have time?" Draco asks in a whisper. Hermione looks at Theo and then back at him. "Plenty," she replies before bending down and kissing him square on the mouth.

* * *

The next morning came all too soon for Theo's liking. Stretching and standing, he makes his way towards a tree and relieves himself of his full bladder.

Last night he'd had a very strange dream of Draco kissing the Gryffindor Princess.

He smirks to himself and zips himself up. Walking back towards his team mates, he finds Hermione's head buried inside a book, and Draco was idly picking up stones and studying them.

"Good morning, lovers!" He greets them with a happy face. Hermione catches his eye and blushes. "Good morning, Theo."

"Oh," he muses. "So you didn't object at being called Draco's lover," he smirks when her blush deepens. "S'alright," he says. "What say you, Draco?"

"Huh?" Draco asks. "I mean," Theo continues with smirk, "Who in Salazar's name can sleep with wet kissing sounds playing in the background?" He drawls.

Hermione drops her book onto the ground and Draco sits up straighter.

 _Interesting._

She scrambles to grab her book and hides her face behind it. Theo laughs and plops down beside her, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Come on now, Granger, don't be shy," he drawls.

"Let me read, Theo," she says, making him laugh even harder than before. "Now now, I'd hate to be left in the dark. Please shine some light on the matter," he says.

"What matter?" she asks, her voice a bit heavy.

"Why the fuck didn't either of you deny when I implied that you both kissed last night? And here I thought it was a dream!"

"Theo," Draco warns. "It _was_ a dream. We thought you'd be smart enough to figure it out. Me and Granger?" he tsks.

Theo scratches the back of his head and looks at Hermione sheepishly. "He's lying, isn't he?" he asks. "No," she replies, her voice a bit scratchy, and her tone cold.

 _ **Trouble in paradise? :P**_

 _ **Please follow me on tumblr to know if I will be able to update next week or not x**_

 _ **Username: Blondfirefly**_

 _ **Please review! x**_


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** An extremely short chapter because it's my birthday next week and I'm just... getting lazy. I promise I'm trying to get back on track. I hope you'll like this chapter ;) Also, let me know where you think this story is going/should go. Don't worry, I have everything planned, but I want to know your thoughts! x

 **ooo**

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty Two**

 **ooo**

"Granger?" Draco approaches her with careful steps. After waking up at 3am, he had been unable to go back to sleep. So, when he decided to pay a little visit to the witch, he found her sleeping bag empty. Next thing he knew, he had shot out of his own sleeping bag, with his wand clutched tightly in his hand.

And here she was, leaning against a tree, completely hidden beneath the fanning of leaves. "Granger..." he tries again. She shudders a bit and then turns completely away from him. He frowns and walks towards her, only stopping when he's right in front of her. She doesn't acknowledge him.

"What happened?" he murmurs. She sniffs, and that's when he notices the shine on her face. The shine which was caused by tears. "Hermione," he says, worry laced in his voice against his will. He grabs her shoulders and turns her a little towards him. She doesn't react. He places his palms flat on either side of her face, and forces her to look up at him. "Look at me," he says softly.

She shrugs his hands off and wipes her face with the back of her jumper's sleeve. "Leave me alone, Draco," she whispers. "No," he replies stubbornly and grabs her hand. "Not until you tell me what's bothering you." She laughs without humour, and shakes her head ruefully. "What's it to you?"

"What do you mean?" he asks. "Go back, Draco." she mutters. "No, I won't," he hisses and whirls her around to face him. She glares at him and snatches her arm back. "Leave before Theo sees you sullying yourself with the likes of me," she retorts, staring at him fiercely.

Draco steps away from her as if he'd been slapped in the face. He stares at her for a good few seconds before literally pouncing at her and claiming her lips with his own in a searing kiss.

"What was that for?" Hermione whispers, her face flushed and her arms crushed in the next-to-nothing space between them.

"You're wrong," he whispers harshly against her face. "It's the opposite. I don't want him to know that _**you**_ are sullying _**yourself**_ with the likes of _**me**_!"

She stares at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. " _You're_ wrong, too,"she whispers. "You're wrong because...because...I-" she cuts herself off abruptly, and stares at him.

He shakes his head and then wraps his arms around her. She stands still in his embrace until her heart wins, then wraps her arms around his back and holds him close, and closer still.

"Was that all that was bothering you?" he murmurs into her neck. She barely keeps herself from gasping and holds him tighter. "This place..." she whispers into his chest. "This place holds a lot of memories. Some good, some bad." she mumbles. He hums and the sound travels down to her toes, making them all tingly. "Let me guess. The latest ones are bad?"

She nods, and he tightens his grip on her. "Tell me about it," he whispers.

She inhales sharply through her nose and begins to speak, "This was the place where we camped during our horcrux hunt. And this was the place where Harry said Voldemort's name without knowing that there was a taboo on his name," she whispers. "The snatchers found us then," her eyes begin to sting and her vision blurs. "I threw a stinging hex at Harry's face, but it didn't matter," she whispers, shuddering, "They took us to Mal- Malfoy Manor."

Draco's heart thunders inside his chest at that, and she can feel it along with her own accelerating heart.

"...And then," she begins, but Draco cuts her off by pulling away and placing feather-light kisses all over face, literally kissing her tears away. He kisses her forehead and grabs her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'm sorry," he whispers. And she knows what he's talking about.

She had thought about it the most. That night. What if things had gone differently? No, she knew she didn't want things to be different. To be tortured was better than to watch someone you love being tortured. Even though her feelings towards the blond were minimal at that point, she absolutely cannot fathom the thought of what would've happened had Draco intervened. Bellatrix would have killed him on the spot.

Killed him. This man. This bizarrely amazing human.

She had always wondered what it would be like to hear these two words from his mouth. And now she knew. "I-" she begins, staring at him in the eyes, He looks vulnerable and defeated, and her heart wrenches painfully inside het chest for him.

"I FUCKING NEW IT HA HA HA!" They both jump apart and look towards their left. Theo was standing there, wrapped up in his blanket, a smirk plastered onto his face. "You liars!" He yells again with a very creepy smiling face. "Why would you lie to me?! I thought we were friends!" He places a hand to his chest and throws his head back dramatically.

"Piss off, Theo," Draco snarls at him. "No," Theo says before stalking over to where they're standing and pushes Draco onto Hermione. The couple stumble back until Hermione's back hits the tree. Draco turns around to glare at Theo, but he was already planning something with a mischievous glint in his brown eyes.

One jump, and he was over them both. "Ouch!" Hermione complains as Theo pulls them both in for a 'group hug'.

"What the actual fuck, Theo?" Draco growls, trying to pull away. " _Fina-fucking-ly_ ," he replies. "I've been trying to fucking catch you both red-handed, but you both are far too smart for your own good."

"Okay, thanks, but can you please get off me?" Hermione speaks. Theo pulls away and grins at them both. "How long has this been going on for?" He asks. And then turning to Draco, he smacks the blond on his head,"and why the fuck did you lie to me in the morning?"

"Theo," Draco says in a warning tone, rubbing his head. "What?! I caught you both red-handed! You both owe me an explanation," he huffs. "Granger," Draco drawls. "Are you doing the honours, or should I?" Theo's eyes light up like his birthday had come early and he smirks.

"Let me," she says before pushing Theo to the ground and tickling him. Draco chuckles as Theo turns and rolls over, trying to get as far away from his witch as possible.

His witch.

Well, fuck.

 ** _Please review! Only they can awaken the sleeping writer in me_ :P**


	23. Not An Update

**Firstly, I'm sorry if you thought this was an update. Please note that Treasure Hunt is on a temporary hiatus. I'm going through a rough patch in my life and I just cannot write at the moment. I don't want to give you guys a chapter just for the sake of updating. I want it to be my best- which, unfortunately, isn't possible right now.**

 **I promise you guys I will never ever abandon any story of mine. Your love and support keeps me going and I'm so _so_ grateful for you all.** **This hold is temporary and I promise you guys that I will be back with a bang!**

 **Sending all my love. Just say a prayer for me today x**

 **x Blondfirefly**


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Guess who's back! OML you guys have no idea how much I missed writing. Even i didn't know until last night. I finally put together some words and here we have this chapter! Please read and review.. you have no idea how much your reviews have helped me. All of you who told me to hang in there... I love you all. so. so. much. I'm back because of you guys. All my love x

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

 **Day Thirty**

Their boots crush the pebbles underneath as they walk further into the forest. The sky was growing darker and more grey by every second, and Hermione reckons it's about to rain. Heavily.

"It's going to rain," Theo voices her thoughts. Draco nods his head, looking up at the sky. "I love rain," Hermione says softly.

Draco turns his head to look at her, his eyes shining under the light from her wand. "It reminds me of destruction and repair. It's just like how sometimes we're weighed down by our burdens, our loses, our defeats. And then we repair ourselves, we heal, and we rise again," she says, not looking at him.

"The rain reminds me that this, too, will end someday." Now she looks at him, and he's still staring at her. She realises what he might be thinking, so she bites her lower lip and turns her head away.

"Hurry up! I think I can hear someone," Theo whispers and begins to jog towards a large tree.

Hermione and Draco follow close behind, and Theo waves his wand around, warding the area. Soft murmurs and light footsteps can be heard. Hermione listens closely and keeps her eyes wide open. A blond beauty steps into her line of view first, and then two brown haired witches walk in with wands held high in their hands.

"See? You were imagining things," one of them says. "No I wasn't," the blond one snaps. "There's someone else here as well," she says, her accent thick.

Hermione holds her breath as the three witches walk towards them. She feels Draco grab her hand, stilling the shivers that were running through her body.

The blond witch's eyes roam over directly where they're standing and the Hogwarts Trio stops breathing. "There's no one here," the blond one declares, her eyes still at the same spot.

"See? I told you," one of them says. "Let's go now," says the other one..

* * *

"I reckon that was the Beauxbatons Trio," Theo says, scratching his elbow.

"How smart," Draco drawls, earning a glare from the brown haired man. "She knew," Hermione says, "the blond one knew we were there."

"What makes you say that?" Draco asks, turning his head to look at her. "Just a feeling," she replies, shrugging a shoulder, "but I _know_."

"Now, how do we find fucking forgiveness in this god forsaken place?" Theo scowls. Hermione turns her nose up at his language and says, "Try asking me to forgive you for all the times you've sworn."

"That'd be a long shot," Theo replies, smirking at her.

* * *

 **Day Thirty One**

Hermione rolls onto her stomach to suppress the growls of hunger emanating from it. Her hand instinctively reaches for the blanket and she's pleasantly surprised when she finds herself covered in two. One smelled like aftershave. A half smile graces her sleepy face till she mentally slaps herself and forces herself to get up. Standing up and stretching, she looks ahead and finds Draco and Theo leaning against a tree, talking. As if feeling her gaze on him, Draco turns his head towards her and gives her slow, meaningful smile.

She blushes a bit because she looks ridiculous. Two blankets hanging off of her shoulders, her pyjama bottoms ridden up to her knees, her hideous socks and her wild hair. Yes, absolutely ridiculous. He smirks at the red that tints her cheeks and she raises her chin in response, making him shake his head and look away.

After the daily morning rituals, Hermione makes her way over to her partners. "What's cooking?" she asks, folding her arms over her chest. "My brain," drawls Theo, "by the great Chef Malfoy."

Hermione laughs a bit at that, and harder when Draco sneers. _Draco_ sneers. Not _Malfoy sneers_. She shakes her head. Since when does Draco's sneer make her laugh? She smacks the thought out of her mind and looks at Theo. "And what are the ingredients?" she asks, smiling. Theo scrunches his nose up in disgust and says, "his theories about the fucking clue."

"Oh," she replies, "Care to share with me, Malfoy?" she turns towards him and looks at him in the eyes. Her stomach tingles. Because she's hungry and because he looks edible.

"Oh yes, Granger," he says smirking, and takes a step towards her. Theo turns his head the other way just as Draco's lips meet hers. A slow, sensual kiss; that's what it is. A kiss that leaves Hermione breathless and a little weak in the knees. Theo pretends to gag in the background and keeps shaking his head the entire time.

"What was that for?" she asks the man whose smile was enough to make her smile. "For talking too much," replies the smug bastard. "Oh? I'm sorry then," she says, rolling her eyes.

"Granger!" Theo yells, startling them both. "For fuck's sake!" Draco glares at him but Theo ignores him and shakes Hermione's shoulders. "Say it again. Say it."

"Have you finally lost it, Theo?" Hermione examines his face. "You never apologise, Granger! But you did it just now! Maybe it's the way out. Maybe Draco needs to say 'i forgive you Hermione.' "

Hermione smacks her forehead and Draco lets out a low growl. "No, you guys don't understand. It's worth a shot!" Theo argues. Hermione lets out a long sigh and looks at Theo uninterestedly. "It won't work, Theodore Nott, but if you insist," she says with a false smile, "I'm sorry, Malfoy."

"Fucking hell," Draco swears, running a hand through his soft blond hair and says, "I forgive you." They both turn their heads to look at Theo and find him looking back at them with a hopeful expression on his face. "Bloody lunatic," Draco mutters under his breath. Theo huffs out a breath and the smile falls from his face. "It was worth a try, wasn't it?" he mumbles. Hermione, being the soft-hearted person that she was, moves forward and pulls Theo in for a hug.

She's surprised to find that his arms that wrap around her back are shaking. She tightens her grip on him and feels him bury his nose inside her wild curls. Wetness slides down the back of her neck and her heart breaks for him. "You'll be back with her soon. I promise," she whispers in his ear. She feels him stiffen a bit and then he pulls away.

Without looking back, Theo begins to walk deeper into the woods. When Hermione begins to follow, Draco grabs her around the waist and pulls her back. "He needs time alone," he explains when she opens her mouth to argue. "He needs someone," she says. "The _someone_ he needs is not here. I know Theo. He hates losing control of his emotions in front of people, so pretend it never happened when he comes back." Hermione chews on her lower lip and nods her head.

"Stop," Draco murmurs, tilting her chin up. "You're thinking too much."

"Make me stop," she whispers.

 _ **I know this chapter was short, but future chapters will be longer x**_

 _ **Please review!**_

 _ **Also, a plot twist is coming up soon ;) (Hint: I finally took your advice)**_


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N:** I'm truly sorry for updating so late, but ff has been behaving a bit off these days. Glad to know so many of you stuck around and still wait for updates on this story. Truly means a lot to me. HPFan, you're a sweetheart!

 **Disclaimer:** you know the drill. don't sue. not mine. JK Rowling's.

 **Note:** this chapter has not been proofread, so please ignore any mistakes.

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty Four**

 **Day Thirty Two**

The sun was still rising when Hermione felt footsteps approaching. Sitting upright on the hard pebbles, she grabs her wand and holds it steady in her hand. Draco and Theo were still asleep, so it was a third person.

She stands up and takes a full turn, keeping her eyes wide open. And there, right next to the tallest tree, she sees a silhouette of a man. A bulky man.

Making sure to remain within the limits of the protective wards, she walks closer towards the tree. The man takes a step forward and Hermione barely stifles a gasp.

The man wasn't bulky. His clothing was. He was wearing thick _Bulgarian_ robes. He was Viktor Krum.

Casting a silencing charm on her shoes, even though it wasn't needed, Hermione treats backwards until her foot hits something hard.

"Fucki-", Draco begins to swear. Hermione drops down to her knees and places her hand over his mouth, giving him a stern look. He glares back at her in response.

She places her mouth next to his ear and whispers, "Viktor Krum is here."

As expected, Draco, with the speed of light, sits upright and clutches his wand tightly in his hand.

"I know you three are here," Krum yells from where he's standing.

Hermione narrows her eyes and gently nudges Theo with her hand. Theo wakes up mumbling incoherent sentences until he sees the position of his teammates. Wands ready.

Defence mechanism kicking in, he, too, grabs his wand and points it directly at the intruder. His jaw drops when he sees who it really is. "Fucking Krum bitch," he scoffs.

"Take off the enchantments, Hermione. I'm here to talk," Krum says, his heavy voice echoing in the forest.

A muscle in Draco's jaw twitches upon hearing Hermione's name from Krum, and he barely restrains himself from cursing the lad into oblivion.

"We don't want to talk, loser," Theo yells. Draco glares at him and Hermione smacks her forehead. And Krum has the audacity to laugh.

"Smart one you are, Nott," he says. "I want to talk to you, Hermione."

Draco squeezes his eyes shut and feels Hermione's hand enclose around his own.

Draco gives her a subtle nod of approval and she silently clears her throat.

"We have nothing to talk about, Krum," she says with such coldness, it shapes Draco's mouth into a smirk.

"It's important, Hermione," Krum replies. "Please. Your sidekicks can be there too."

A sudden pang of sadness engulfs Hermione as a smiling Ron's and grinning Harry's face flash through her mind.

"Remove the enchantments, Granger," Draco says. Hermione looks at him with worrisome eyes. "We don't have to-" she begins, but he cuts her off. "We're going to," he says with a tone of finality.

Huffing out a breath, she steps away from him and lifts her wand, performing the counter charms. Krum releases a sigh when the Trio become visible to him, and takes a step forward.

"Expelliarmus," Draco mutters, disarming Krum. His eyes flash dangerously for a second before he plasters a fake smile on his face.

"What do you want?" Hermione asks.

"Just want to apologise," Krum says, looking sincere. "For all my actions," he adds. "Pffttt," says Theo, stepping closer to Hermione.

"I'm serious, Nott. Forgive me. I was wrong," Krum says. Hermione's face falls for a moment because Krum looks ashen. "Forgive me, Hermione," he looks at her, pleading.

Draco furrows his brows and stares at the man, waiting for him to make eye contact with him. But he doesn't. Smart man.

"Where are your partners?" Theo asks, gruffly. "They're here too, of course," Krum replies, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Don't fucking try to mess with us, you fucking bulky arse bitch," Theo roars at him, taking a step forward.

Hermione places a hand on his arm to stop him, and casts a worried glance in the blond's direction, who was, till now, silent.

"I'm not trying to mess with you," Krum raises his hands as if to surrender. "I'm just trying to rectify what I did."

Theo snorts. "Take your apology and stick up your arse, Krum."

"Hermione," Krum says, looking at her. "I truly am sorry," and he genuinely looks torn.

"Don't pressurize her, Krum," Draco speaks for the first time. Krum still doesn't look at him. Draco's nostrils flare and his eyes narrow. "Hermione needs some time," he says. Hermione looks at him, and he gives her a subtle nod. "He's right," she says, "I need some time. We need some time."

Krum's nose turns up a bit, and he opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better and just nods instead. "See you later," he mumbles. And with that, he summons his wand, wandlessly, and walks away.

 **ooo**

"They figured out the clue," Draco says, exhaling as he leans his back against the tree. Hermione and Theo join him, and wait for him to elaborate. "Forgiveness. Bloody tosser was trying his luck."

"He sounded sincere to me," Hermione says, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Draco snorts, "You'd even believe Voldemort was sorry. Leave this task to us Slytherins, Granger. Don't go about forgiving him. He wasn't sorry at all."

"He's right," Theo says. "He knew Draco is a Legilimens so he didn't even look at him. Looks like our big fat Krum chum can't keep his brain shut."

"It is a bit fishy," Hermione says, agreeing. "A bit?" Draco snorts. "Okay. It's all fish and fishy," she replies. "Granger?" Theo says, "Please do us a favour and stop trying with your sense of humor. It gives me a headache in my heart..."

 **Day Thirty Three**

Her hair is at war with the wind as she navigates her way through the forest to find a place to empty her bladder. A curse is at the tip of her tongue, when the leaves on the trees rustle.

The leaves crunch beneath heavy boots as they approach her. Hermione's eyes widen and she whirls around to face whatever it was. It was nothing. A disillusionmentcharm.

She could've killed herself for her stupidity, because her wand isn't on her. She'd left it back in her sleeping bag, choosing to carry toilet paper with her instead. Well, shit.

"Who's there?" she asks, taking several steps back, trying to locate a safe exit. The approaching footsteps increase their pace and then she's running in the opposite direction. Away from the footsteps, away from the boys, away from safety.

She knocks into something hard and stumbles back. But there's nothing in front of her. And then she's being pulled up and magic touches her skin.

And then she faints.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**A/N:** What did I ever do to deserve your appreciation and your patience? I'm so _so_ thankful for you all. You guys deserve a pack of chocolate cookies. Thank you for all the lovely reviews. They make my day x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty Five**

"It's been a while since Granger left," Theo mumbles sleepily, turning towards Draco, who was munching on an apple with his eyes closed.

Draco swallows and glances behind Theo, narrowing his eyes. "Did she take her wand?" He asks.

"Nope," he replies, popping the 'p', "lets wait for a while before drowning ourselves in worry."

Draco only nods, his eyes glued where the witch had walked off to.

 **ooo**

Hermione grumbles as a throbbing pain builds inside her head. She tries to lift a hand, but is unable to. She hears the shackle of chains and dread pools in the pit of her stomach. She tries to move, and gasps when sharp steel digs into her arms and legs.

She was blindfolded, her mouth was taped shut, and she was chained to a stone wall. Literally.

"Look who's awake," someone purrs. Hermione snaps her head in the direction of the voice, trying to remain calm. She tries to speak, but the tape muffles everything that comes out of her mouth.

The man chuckles, and goosebumps erect on Hermione's skin.

"Don't even bother trying, _Hermione_ ," he emphasises her name. She catches a whiff of his ghastly breath, and has to swallow a few times to keep herself from gagging.

"A one sided conversation isn't much fun, is it?" He tsks.

Good, she thinks. At least he'll remove the- "aah!" She cries out as he rips the tape off her mouth.

"There there. Not so strong, are you?" The person laughs.

"Who are you?" She asks defiantly.

"I doubt you know me, Miss Granger," he replies.

"What do want from me?" She questions, barely keeping herself from licking her chapped and torn lips.

"You talk too much," he huffs. "Perhaps we should try this," he says, and sticks the tape back onto her bruised lips, making her wince in pain.

Next thing she knows, the weight of the blindfold disappears from her eyes and she exhales a sharp breath. Cracking her eyes open slowly, she comes face to face with someone she had never seen before. The man standing in front of her looked roughly around her age. His eyes were a sharp blue colour and his features pointed. Apart from the light stubble on his chin (which was quite uneven), he looked rather normal. Not someone who'd abduct her and chain her to a wall.

"This isn't fun either," he drawls. Hermione squeezes her eyes shut to prevent herself from crying out loud as he rips the tape off her mouth once more. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

She feels warm liquid dribbling down the side of her mouth, and she's horrified to find evidence of it all when the man lifts the tape and shows it to her.

"Who are you?" She asks fiercely.

The man chuckles. "Feisty. Feisty," he taunts. Lifting an ugly finger, he traces the curve of her jaw. Hermione turns her head away, glaring at him. "Who are you?" She yells at him, hoping someone might hear them.

He pulls his hand away and pushes his tongue in his cheek. "That's no way to talk, Miss Granger."

For the first time since opening her eyes, Hermione takes note of her surroundings. The place looks an awful lot like a cave and she shudders involuntarily. What if this man was a werewolf? What did he want? Who was the other person? So many questions...If only this bastard would answer.

"Your curiosity is killing you, isn't it?" He snickers. "Well Miss, let's not make it any harder than it already is," he says before pulling out his wand.

Hermione's eyes widen in alarm and then the only sound in her ears are her own screams.

 **ooo**

"Fucking stupid witch. Who the fuck doesn't carry their wand with them?" Draco grumbles under his breath as he walks alongside Theo. They'd been wandering around the forest, looking for any sign of Hermione Granger, but none was found.

"What in Merlin's could've happened?" Theo huffs, kicking a stone from his path.

Draco scowls into the air, his mind playing the worst scenarios inside his head. "I don't see a sign of a fucking wild animal," he grumbles. "Ticked that off the list," Theo mutters. "May be she was _...uh.._ you know..taking a dump?"

Draco sneers at him, "who takes an hour for that?"

"Granger... _maybe_."

Draco shakes his head and tries to calm his frantic heart. She was safe. She is safe. She's Hermione Granger. And no one messes with Hermione Granger.

" _Fuck_!" He roars in frustration, and pulls his hair. "Draco," Theo says cautiously, "we'll find her."

"What if it was bloody Krum?" Draco's eyes narrow and his hand clenches tighter around his wand.

"Let's not assume things until-" Theo begins, but Draco cuts him off. "Until what? What if it's already too late. It's been a whole _fucking_ hour, Theo! And Hermione is not stupid to take a stroll in the forest without informing us, or without even taking her wand!"

By the time he's done speaking, his eyes turn red and the vein on his forehead becomes visible. Theo mumbles something under his breath and then motions Draco to continue walking.

 **ooo**

Three hours and twenty four minutes have passed without a sign of the curly haired witch. Theo looks at Draco and his lips pull down into a frown. Though he may not show on the outside, Theo knew Draco better than anyone else.

The frequent clench of his jaw and the twitching of his fingers around his wand indicated his level of stress. The man was head over heels in love with Granger; had been since third year. Draco would rather die before he admitted out loud, but Theo knew him like he knew himself.

The constant nagging about Granger and her cronies, the unwanted insults he threw at her in the hallways of Hogwarts, all the hidden glances and all the times he protected her by putting himself at stake.

Granger had turned his head around, hell she'd even turned his life around.

Theo still remembers how all breath had been knocked out of Draco's lungs when she'd entered the Great Hall on Viktor Krum's arm in fourth year. Draco had blamed it on the fact that he couldn't believe how someone like Viktor Krum could stoop so low. But, Theo knew better.

Draco hadn't been able to stop himself from sneaking glances at her throughout the night. Hell he had even followed her out when she'd left the Great Hall, with angry tears streaming down her face. Theo had never seen Draco look so confused and helpless.

Draco was lucky to have him by his side throughout Hogwarts. Of course that prat would never admit it out loud, but Theo knew he was appreciated. They had grown up together; him and Draco. Fuck they had even cried together when Granger was captured and tortured only a few days after his Luna was. That had been the beginning of their brotherhood.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Theo lays a hand on Draco's shoulder which was as stiff as a rock. "We'll find her," Theo says sincerely. "I swear on Salazar's grave, we'll find her."

Draco says nothing, his eyes void of any emotion as they continue to walk through the forest, looking for Hermione Granger.

 **A/N:** Okay... so who else knew about Draco's little secret? I actually dropped a lot of hints in the previous chapters ;) Please review, and also leave your guesses about the kidnapper.

On another note, please never hesitate to pm me if there's something that I can do for you (read your ff/review your ff/help with fanarts, etc) I love you guys. I really do. xx


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N:** I freaking love you all. Your reviews mean so much to me! I'm trying very hard to get back, and I know it's taking a lot of time, but I promise you that I will never ever abandon any story of mine. You guys are the best x

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty Six**

 **Six hours.**

Six hours have passed since Draco has last seen her. Panic had already seized his heart, but now another emotion was taking over; Hopelessness. He could tell from the numbness in his cold limbs and from his watery eyes.

He didn't know where they were. Theo and him have wandered quite far from their camping spot. Of course, he did put a spell in that place to inform him if any human steps into the wards.

The only link he has between himself and his body is the sound of heavy pounding of his heart in his ears. Even Theo's eyes have dulled with every hour that passed in search of her.

"Krum," Draco spits. "It was Krum."

"How can you be so sure?" Theo murmurs.

"Who else could it be, Theo? Who else could it fucking be?!" He hisses, coming to a stop. Theo huffs out a long breath and turns to face him. "I know you're worried. Hell, even I'm worried now, but we have to remain calm and keep looking."

"We've been looking for the past six hours!" He snarls, his face turning red from barely controlled rage.

Theo shakes his head. "That's all we can do for now- _except_ , if you want me to take the portkey back to school," he says slowly.

Draco's face scrunched up in thought, because quite frankly, his brain had slowed down in the past hours.

"Isn't there a way to call McGonagall?" He asks, because he doesn't want to be left all alone here with no means of communication. He has to know if she was safe or not, if help was coming or not.

"Mate, I really don't know," Theo flops down on the ground, wincing because of the sharp pebbles underneath.

Draco sighs in defeat and drops down on the ground beside Theo.

"Malfoy," someone spits his name. Draco's head jerks up at that voice and he jumps to his feet. "Krum," he snarls.

"Where is Hermione?" He hisses in his thick Bulgarian accent. "You tell me that!" Draco roughly grabs him by the collar and narrows his eyes threateningly.

"How am I supposed to know where she is? You are a bloody death eater, you tell me," he seethes.

"Shut the fuck up, you fat bitch," Theo jumps in. "You have no fucking idea about what you're saying, so shut that trap up. Hermione is our partner, our friend. Last I noticed, she didn't even want to look at you. So, you can get the hell out of here. And if you have anything to do with her disappearance, you better tell us right now!"

Krum stares at him, and then purses his lips. "She means a great deal to me, Mr Nott."

Draco clenches his jaw shut and glares at him. "How the fuck do you know about Granger?" He hisses.

"I saw you both wandering about without her, so I followed you. Clearly I was right. You're incapable of taking care of her," he replies hotly.

"I'd watch that mouth if I were you, Krum," Draco warns.

"Viktor!" They hear someone shout. A girl, who Draco vaguely remembers as Claudia, comes into view. She avoids Draco's eyes and comes to stand beside Krum. "There's no sign of her," she pants.

"Who the fuck is she talking about?" Draco growls.

"Listen to me, Malfoy. You may not know this, but Hermione was once friend of mine. Everything that happened in that small town was a trick. I was under a curse!" Krum says through clenched teeth.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asks.

"What I mean is that someone has been following us. _Someone_ who has the same mark as you do. And that someone is probably the one who abducted Hermione."

"What.." Theo releases a deep breath, "...the actual fuck."

"I'm telling you the truth. That man uses an altered and more complicated version of the Imperius curse! He used me to get to you. He used Claudia here to get to you!"

Draco scrutinises him for a moment, and then exhales. "He's telling the truth," he murmurs to Theo.

Theo nods in response. "What does he look like?" Theo asks Krum.

"Never got a chance to see his face," he answers, shrugging.

Theo looks at Claudia, the pretty blond woman who had tried to hit on Draco when they were at McDonald's, and purses his lips.

She bites hers in response and looks at Draco, guilt shining in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I was under the curse- and he..he just," she says, and her lower lip begins to tremble.

Draco's eyes widen and he raises a hand to stop her. "I understand," he says. She swallows and then nods. "We have to find her. That man is vile and dangerous."

Draco nods and looks at Theo.

"Wasn't Durmstrang a boys-only school?" Theo asks.

"It was. Three years ago," Krum replies, holding his hand out for them to shake. "Viktor Krum," he says. Theo accepts it and shakes it well before letting it go. "Theo Nott."

Krum nods at him and then turns to Draco, who only gives him a curt nod, totally not in the mood to suddenly become chummy with Krum.

"Let's go," Draco murmurs and begins to move.

 **ooo**

 **8th hour**

The forest is enormous. Draco's feet can vouch for that. After almost 8 hours of continuous walking, his feet feel like two dead stones. _Heavy_ stones.

"This is useless," Theo whines. "I feel like we've been going around in circles now. What if that..that..death eater apparated her out of this area?"

"No. He can't do that. Because every time a contestant leaves the perimeter of the chosen destination, the respected schools are informed. Along with the location of their new destination." Krum says.

Theo nods. That'd explain McGonagall showing up at Draco's summer house.

"Where's your third man?" Theo asks, "or woman.." he adds when Claudia shoves her nose up in the air.

"His father passed away. He had to take the portkey."

Just then, a silvery light shines bright ahead of them. They all perk up, wands rising. The silver glob of light floats towards them until they can see that it's a silver cat.

"What is that?" Theo breathes, never having seen a patronus before.

"It's a patronus," Draco says, lowering his wand. The cat floats above them and then finally settles down on the ground in front of Draco.

"Children, I have been asked to inform you that the Beauxbaton's Trio has returned to their school in France due to an illness that they encountered in the forest," it begins to speak in McGonagall's voice, making Theo jump, "You are all advised to only eat what we provide you with every day, and to stay as hygienic as possible. Now there's only two Trio's in the tournament. Good luck to you all," McGonagall's voice fades and the cat disappears.

"Wait, kitty!" Theo yells. "Tell your mum that Hermione is lost!"

"Theo," Draco warns. Claudia lets out a small chuckle and Theo deflates.

"I was only trying to help," he murmurs.

They start to walk again and then suddenly Theo stops. "Draco," he breathes. "Mate, come here."

Draco turns around and his eyes widen when he looks at what Theo was pointing towards.

Toilet paper roll.

An alarm goes off on Draco's wand and his eyes widen even more. "We're back at our camping spot," he breathes, looking in front as Krum and Claudia step through his wards. His wand buzzes again and Draco heaves a breath. Bending down, he hastily grabs the roll from the ground and looks for any other sign of her.

Draco silently casts a spell and the whole ground lights up in a strange blue light. Theo's eyes widen as he looks at the ground now. Among the blue-lit areas were footsteps. Footsteps that didn't belong to them.

Draco breathes out harshly and holds his wand steadily in his hand, trying not to shake.

"This is...wow," Krum says, coming to stand next to them.

"I can smell her," Claudia says, sniffing slightly.

Theo's eyes widen in alarm. "Are you a werewolf?" He questions.

"Got a problem with that?" She asks hotly. Theo notices that as soon as Krum grabs her elbow, she calms down.

"Can you lead us?" Krum asks her. She nods her head and begins to work.

 ** _Leave me your thoughts. Until next time x_**


	28. Chapter 27

**A/N:** Let me begin by saying that I'm sorry. I know I've been away for more than a month and its very discouraging for you all, but my phone broke down and I'm away from home for two months so I dont even have my laptop with me. I'm using a spare phone right now because my friend just showed me a review left by _Guest._ And that review has somehow managed to tickle the sleeping writer in me and I started writing on this tiny phone :). This chapter is for you ' _Guest'._ You know who you are. Love x

 **ooo**

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **ooo**

Draco watches as Claudia approaches a tree and gently lays her hand on it's bark. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and then turns around to face them once again. "She's here," she says, frowning. "Here? As in inside this fucking tree?" Theo asks, narrowing his eyes.

"This is where her scent ends, I'm afraid," she fires back. Krum grabs her hand and she visibly relaxes. Draco takes a step forward and touches the rough bark. He instantly feels the tingle of magic and 2 emotions flare to life inside his chest; hope and dread.

"I can feel the magic," he says, swallowing. "She's in there," he almost begins to panic. Inside a tree for more than 8 hours?

"Step back," Krum says and raises his wand. He begins to chant something and blue light emerges from the tip of his wand and hits the tree. The bark splits open at once, leaving all 4 of them with their mouths hanging open.

It was an opening to what looked like a cave with stone walls and a rusty smell. An extension charm, Draco notices. "Let's go," he manages before darting headfirst into the cave. "I'll keep an eye out here," Claudia says. Krum squeezes her shoulder before following Theo inside.

Draco heaves in a breath as he walks further inside. He casts a silent lumos and looks around. The place reeks of dirt; he shudders.

"Hermione," he calls out. He comes to a sudden halt when his foot hits something. An iron chain. He swallows thickly and holds his wand up. "Hermione," he says, more desperately this time. A flicker of a shadow catches his eye and he whirls around, wand pointed straight ahead. "Theo," he growls, lowering his hand.

"You should come see this," Theo mutters, leading him towards the right. Draco holds his breath and then gasps altogether when he notices the blood on the floor. "Granger," he yells when he notices a lump on the floor far ahead. He dashes towards it and drops to the ground beside it.

His eyes widen when he realises that it _actually_ is Hermione Granger. He turns her over and notices nothing out of the usual on her face. She looks...calm.

"No, no, Granger, _fuck_ no!" He cries, assuming the worst. He pulls her head in his lap and gently presses his thumb on her pulse point. He exhales sharply as relief floods through him. _She's alive_ , he chants inside his head as he lifts his wand.

"Renervate," he murmurs, and waits. Hermione wakes up with a gasp and sits upright. "Leave me alone, you bastard!" She cries, her voice raspy.

"Hey, it's Draco...-Malfoy or whatever- Draco Malfoy," Theo sputters, coming to sit beside Draco.

Hermione looks at them and then lunges forward, throwing her arms around Draco's neck. She grabs Theo's hand from behind and begins to cry.

"Are you hurt?" Draco asks, pulling away to look at her. She shakes her head, still crying. He wipes her face with his thumbs and forces her to look at him. "You're safe now," he whispers. She takes in a deep breath and nods.

"That blood...?" Theo asks. "He healed me," she whispers. "He sliced my palms and...and," her lips begin to quiver. "Stop," Draco mumbles. "We'll see to that later," he tugs on her lower lip with his thumb, pulling it free from the wrath of her teeth.

"Hermione! You're fine," Krum exclaims as he dashes towards them. He drops to his knees in front of her and hands her a water bottle. Hermione looks at Draco, the question obvious on her face.

"He helped us find you," Theo explains. "We'll leave the details for later."

Hermione accepts the water bottle and takes a long sip. "Ow," she winces in pain. "What is it?" Draco asks, his arms coming around her small frame.

She lifts her shirt, wincing. And the three men gasp, their eyes going wide in horror. Words were carved into her stomach and were oozing with blood.

' _Hello son_ ', were the words.

"Oh my god," Krum exclaims, his eyes widening in horror.

Draco stares at her, dumbstruck. "Who was it, Hermione?" He asks her, taking a hold of her hand.

"It wasn't- it couldn't have been- he was around our age," she stutters.

"Our age?" Theo asks, averting his eyes from her stomach. Hermione nods her head. "I've never seen him before. He's definitely not from Hogwarts."

"What did he look like?" Theo further inquires. Hermione narrows her eyes a bit, remembering the face of her captor. "You," she finally says. "He looked like you."

Theo's eyes widen in horror and he holds his hands up in surrender. " _Fuck_! Granger I swear I was with Draco the entire the time."

"I trust you, Theo," Hermione says, giving him a stern look. "He just...He just looked like you. He had your eyes and your hair, but he wasn't you. He looked like as if he'd been in hiding..."

"My father is dead. And he's the only family I ever had," Theo mutters.

"Let's discuss this outside," Draco interrupts and looks at Hermione. "Do you want me to..." he leans forward as if to carry her, but she stops him with her palm flat against his chest. "No it's fine. I'm fine. I can walk," she says, wincing slightly as she stands up.

"I know some healing charms," Krum offers weakly, still a bit sick at the sight of her stomach.

Hermione glances at Draco briefly before saying, "It's fine for now."

He nods his head and steps away as they begin to walk outside. As soon as they reach the opening of the tree trunk, Hermione let's out a small gasp.

"Where's my wand?"

"Uhhh," Theo looks at her uncertainly.

"Here," Krum says, pulling out her wand from the pocket of his robe. He offers it to her and she grabs it roughly from his hands. Upon Draco's piercing glare, Krum explains, "I found it near the entrance."

"Viktor," Claudia exclaims as soon as they step out. She embraces him tightly and let's out a long sigh. "This place reeks of dark magic," she mumbles into his chest. He holds her close against himself and presses a kiss to her forehead.

"Let's go then," he says, grabbing her hand.

"I think we should leave," Theo mutters.

"That's what I said."

"No. I mean we should _leave_ leave," Theo clarifies.

"You want us to go back to Hogwarts?" Draco asks incredulously.

His hand discreetly curls around Hermione's.

"Yes. I mean- well, Krum and his wolf girl can go back to their own shit holes."

Krum snorts in response, rolling his eyes.

"As much as I loathe to admit it, he's right. This was certainly an act of hatred and I don't think any of us are safe here," Claudia says, raising an eyebrow at Theo.

Draco looks at Hermione, trying to read her face. She was shifting her weight from one foot to the other and her lips were pursed.

"Granger," he murmurs. "I think he's right too," she breathes, tightening her hold on his hand. "I need to tell-" she cuts herself off as she chokes on a sob. Sniffing slightly, she shakes her head. "We should go."

Draco gives her a curt nod and grabs his bag from where it was lying on the ground. He takes out the napkin which held his portkey and unfolds it.

"I hope you can forgive me, Malfoy," Krum says, pulling out his own portkey. Draco clenches his jaw once before giving him a subtle nod.

"You too, Nott. Goodbye, Hermione."

"Goodbye," she says, raising her hand as Draco holds out the portkey.

The three of them touch the stone at the same time, and disappear into thin air.

When they open their eyes, they're standing in front of large oak doors.

They were back home.

 ** _Finally back to Hogwarts! God I missed writing Pansy, Ginny and Luna. Now that they're back, I may as well start to write more :P. Thank you so much for reading. I kmow this isn't my best chapter, but I promise I'm trying. Your reviews can do wonders ;)_**


	29. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Not so late this time, eh? :) Thank you for your continuous support. It means so much to me. I read your reviews during my dark days and they do wonders for me. To know that there's someone out there who waits for me to write is a motivation in itself. I'm beyond blessed. Thank you to everyone who has left a review, and to everyone who follows this story silently. I love you all. _Guest 101,_ you did not come off as rude. I only meant to tell you that your review encouraged me to write. I loved it. Thank you x

 **ooo**

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty** **Eight**

 **ooo**

The castle is eerily silent when they arrive. The halls are empty and the portraits lining the walls are sound asleep. Hermione instinctively wraps her hand around Draco's and takes a deep breath.

"What's the time?" Theo asks, whispering. "It's 3 in the morning," she replies after glancing at her watch.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy! What are you doing here?" A voice with Scottish accent calls. The three of them turn around, startled.

"Professor!" Hermione squeaks. "Merlin, what happened to you?" McGonagall strides towards them and looks down at Hermione sternly.

"Good.. _.night_ to you too, Professor," Theo drawls, reminding the elder witch that she had completely forgotten to acknowledge his presence.

"Yes, goodnight, Mr Nott," she replies sharply. "Now would you mind explaining what all of you are doing back here? And why is Ms. Granger's shirt torn?"

"Long story, Professor," Hermione mumbles.

"But are you alright?" The headmistress questions, and waves her wand, stitching her shirt back up "Yes..I think so. Yes, I'm fine," she replies, squaring her shoulders.

"What happened?" McGonagall asks, beckoning them inside an empty classroom.

"Granger was kidnapped and tortured," Draco blurts out, squeezing Hermione's hand.

"What?" McGonagall whisper-yells. She quickly casts a _muffiliato_ and turns her attention back to them.

"Are you sure you're fine? Should I call for Poppy?"

"I'm fine, Professor. We just thought it was best for us to leave."

"You did the right thing, children. Take some rest and we'll sort this out in the morning."

"Okay, Professor," Hermione says. McGonagall gives them all one final nod before walking out of the classroom.

Hermione turns her head to look at Draco and finds him already staring at her. He clears his throat and looks down at their joined hands. "You should get some sleep, Granger," he says, licking his lips.

"So should you," she replies softly. He nods and gives her hand a squeeze.

"Let me walk you to Gryffindor Tower," he offers. "I..," she trails off, realising that she'd formed a habit of sleeping next to him.

Theo clears his throat, making his presence known. "I'm still here, you dumbshits," he scowls.

"The question is, _why_?" Draco asks, scowling back.

"Huh. I'm wounded," he snarls.

Hermione lets out a chuckle and shakes her head. "Come here," she holds her free hand out for Theo to take.

"What are we now, a triad?" He asks as he grabs Draco's hand forcefully.

Hermione laughs again. "No. We're the Trio," she says, smiling.

Theo pretends to shudder. "Spare me the bullshit, Granger. Hogwarts doesn't need another Trio...not for another ten years at least."

"Spit it out, Granger," Draco gives her the look.

Hermione lets out a nervous chuckle and squeezes both of their hands.

"I just..I just want to make sure that... _well_ \- that we won't go back to how we were...before the tournament."

"Seriously, Granger?" Theo scoffs. "Is that what you think was going to happen?"

"No, I just wanted to be sure."

"Then be sure, bushy head. Now leave me so I can go look for Luna."

"Luna is probably asleep."

"I know."

"..in the Ravenclaw Tower."

"I know."

"And you need to be smart enough to answer a riddle to enter the common room."

"My my, Granger. Are you belittling me? Let me make this clear, there's nothing little about me," he says with a smirk.

Hermione rolls her eyes and pushes him back. "Have fun, Theodore," she says as he throws them both a smirk over his shoulder before walking out of the classroom.

Finally alone, Hermione turns towards Draco and rests her head on his chest. He carefully lifts a hand and runs his fingers through her tight curls.

"You sure you want to do this?" He murmurs.

"Do what?" She mumbles into his shirt.

"Be with me," he replies gently, as if expecting a backlash.

Hermione lifts her head off his chest and stares at him with incredulity in her eyes. "Seriously? She asks, rolling her eyes.

"Yes," he replies, swallowing.

"I've wanted to be with you before all of this," she whispers, bringing his face closer to hers.

"All of what?" He asks.

"The tournament. I've wanted to be able to do this," she interlaces their fingers together, "since the beginning of the term. And this," she says, kissing him softly on the lips, "since the beginning of the term as well."

He looks surprised when she pulls back and narrows his eyes at her. "Why?" He asks.

She shrugs her shoulders. "There doesn't have to be a reason."

He looks unconvinced, but doesn't push her any further.

"Lets sleep," she says, covering her yawn with the back of her hand.

Draco hesitates a moment before asking, "What about your wound?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore and there's no bleeding now. I think I'll be fine."

"You _think_? I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No, Draco. Honestly, it's fine," she argues.

"Hermione, whatever he used to do that on you could be cursed," he says, knitting his brows together.

"I'll cast a few detecting charms myself-"

"No," he says sternly. "What if it's dark magic? It's not easily detected with simple charms."

"Who said anything about simple charms?" She asks him with a naughty grin.

"Damnit it, Granger. Must you always be this stubborn?" He scowls at her.

"Damn you, Malfoy. I'm sleepy and tired and I just want to hug my boyfriend to sleep."

Draco shakes his head but doesn't argue any further. "Sleep it is."

Hermione grins and pulls out their sleeping bags. She lays them on the floor, while Draco watches her in mild amusement.

"Come on," she pats the space beside her.

Draco drops down beside her and pulls a vial out of his bag. "Take this," he holds it out for her.

Hermione catches a whiff of the smell and crinkles her nose in distaste. "Blood replenishing potion?"

Draco nods. "I'm not going to take no for an answer," he warns when she tries to push the vial back in his hands.

She wrinkles her nose and chugs the potion down, grimacing. "You laced it with a sleeping draught," she accuses.

"Yes I did. Now go to sleep."

And she's asleep within seconds. Draco lays down beside her and gently pulls her back against himself. Only then does he let his eyes fall shut.

 **ooo**

Hermione wakes up to the sound of hushed murmuring sounds. She groans at how stiff her back feels and cracks an eye open. "Hello, Hermione," Luna kneels down beside her and greets.

"Luna!" Hermione exclaims, her voice groggy from sleep. When she tries to get up, she realises that her hand isn't free. Her eyes widen as she realises that Draco is still asleep.

Luna gives her a knowing smile and stands up. Theo throws her a smirk.

Hermione gently pulls her hand free and stands up. She stretches her back and then rushes towards Luna, pulling her into a hug.

"It's so good to see you, Luna."

"It's good to see you too, Hermione," Luna says with a smile. Hermione looks at Theo and finds his face radiating with happiness.

"Hermione!" Someone yells and Hemrione sees a flash of red before someone knocks right into her.

"Oh God! You're back! Youre finally back!" Ginny pants.

"Ginny!" Hermione yells, half excited-half startled.

"You don't know how much I missed you! I tried to send you letters, but the stupid owls would always return with them. I even tried asking Harry to see I'd there was a way I could talk to you!" She exclaims, her face brightening at the sight of her best friend.

Hermione chuckles. "I wouldn't have expected anything else from you, Gin."

"Fucking hell," says Draco Malfoy as he stands up and stretches his arms above his head.

Heat rises in Hermione's cheeks and she looks away. Ginny catches it in an instant and her eyes widen.

"Is that your sleeping bag, Hermione?" She asks, pointing towards one of the two bags on the ground.

"Yes, that's Granger's," Theo drawls. Ginny sneers at him, making Hermione roll her eyes.

"We have some catching up to do, Granger," Ginny says with an excited gleam in her eyes.

"We actually do," she replies with a sigh.

"Draco!" Yells another voice. They all turn towards the door in time to see Pansy Parkinson storming into the classroom. Draco, completely unprepared, is knocked off balance when she throws herself at him.

Hermione's eyes widen as she realises that she'd completely forgotten about Parkinson.

"Well, shit," she mutters.

"Lets go," Ginny says, pretending to gag. "I'll be with you in a minute," she murmurs her reply, glaring at Parkinson.

"I'll see you at breakfast," Ginny says before leaving.

"Er Pans," Theo clears his throat. "Theodore!" She cries, throwing herself onto him next. "Ouch, woman," he cries. "I've missed you both so much!" Pansy says with a teary chuckle. "I've been so lonely and I just-" she sniffles and then laughs. " Oh God, look at me," she shakes her head. "How are you both?"

"I was fine until you crushed me in your manly arms," Theo drawls, making Draco bark out a laugh.

Pansy says nothing in response- just smiles at Draco.

 ** _Review please?_**

 ** _p.s We'll be meeting Harry and Ron soon enough..._**

 **Edit:** A **_Guest_** asked two questions in their review. The answer to your first question is Pansy's full name is Pansy Parkinson. So when I write _Parkinson,_ I mean Pansy. I hope it makes sense. I'm quite shite at explanations. And the answer to your next question shall be revealed very soon ;)


	30. Chapter 29

**A/N:** Wow. Isn't this a miracle? I couldn't stop typing today and so I thought why wait for a week. Why not give you all a little treat? I do hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Also, if you have any guesses then please leave them in the reviews or pm them to me :-)

 **ooo**

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Twenty Nine**

 **ooo**

"So you're telling me that Draco Malfoy is your boyfriend?" Ginny leans forward on the bed, and asks with a neutral expression.

"Yes," Hermione replies without hesitation.

"And you love him?"

"I do," she nods.

"And he loves you?"

"He does, Gin."

Ginny lets out an exasperated sigh and throws her head back on the pillow.

"It's just so much to digest, you know? Last I saw you, he was your guilty crush. And now, he's yours altogether."

Hermione smiles at the memory of trying to sneak glances at the blond. "He's amazing, Ginny."

Ginny rolls her eyes and pushes her lips into a pout. "Is he super romantic?"

Hermione laughs outright at that, imagining Draco's reaction at being called 'super romantic'

"Oh no. Not even the least bit romantic, but we have our moments," she adds the last part with a shy smile.

"Ooo someone's blushing," Ginny says with a teasing smile. "Oh come on," Hermione complains.

"Tell me about your moments," the redhead asks with a genuine smile and sits back up on the bed.

Hermione grabs a pillow and hugs it to her stomach. "Its not roses and rainbows for us, Gin. Its all reflected in our actions...You know, Draco couldn't conjure a patronus, because he didn't have a happy memory. So he took me to a place and we fought like cats and dogs," she laughs as the memory floats through her mind. "We had a snowfight," she clarifies at the confused look on Ginny's face. "And then he did it. He conjured a patronus, Gin, and his happy memory was me."

"Oh my," Ginny's jaw goes slack. "He really must love you."

Hermione's lips curve up into a smile. "His patronus is an otter."

Ginny's eyes bulge out. "Godric's _fucking_ tits!"

 **ooo**

Her eyes drift over to the Slytherin table as soon as she enters the Great hall. And there he is, sandwiched between Pansy and Theo.

The former notices her first and gives her a smirk. Hermione rolls her eyes and makes her way over to the Gryffindor table.

" _Hermione! You're back."_

 _"How are you here?"_

 _"Is the tournament over?"_

 _"Did we win?"_

 _"You look awful."_

 _"Did something happen?"_

Commotion breaks out in the Great hall as students start noticing her. She wonders if anyone noticed Draco and Theo. Probably not. And her heart twists painfully inside her chest.

"Leave her alone," Ginny yells as she pushes everyone away from Hermione and makes way for her. "Er sorry," Hermione keeps apologising to every frightened little first years who were within earshot of Ginny's shrill voice.

"Thanks," Hermione mumbles, taking a seat next to Neville, who embraces her warmly. "It's good to see you, Hermione," he says with a smile.

"How've you been, Neville?" Hermione returns his smile and asks.

"I've been well," he answers, handing her a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Hermione takes a sip and moans. Oh how she'd missed this. This and Hogwarts and all the food and professors and the hustle and bustle. She'd missed it all.

Her eyes skim over the Slytherin table once again and she finds herself locking eyes with her boyfriend. She blushes when he raises a bemused brow and subtly points towards her hair.

"Do you want some jam?" Ginny asks, smirking at her knowingly. Hermione straightens up at being caught and quickly grabs the jar of jam from her hands.

"He looks like he's planning to do sinful things to you," Ginny whispers in her ear.

Hermione's eyes snap over to him and indeed, he is looking at her like that.

Hermione returns his glare with a look of her own, which promises a great deal of _happenings_ and minimal words.

Draco loosens his tie and gets up to leave the Great hall. Pansy grabs his hand to stop him, but he shrugs her off with a glare and walks out of the hall. Hermione drops her toast on the table and wipes her hands with a napkin. "I'll see you later," she mumbles to Ginny and leaves.

He'd turned towards the right so that's where she goes. She's walking when suddenly she's pulled into an empty classroom and her back is pushed against the door. "Draco," she breathes before his lips descend upon her own and she forgets how to breathe.

When he pulls away, he's as breathless as she is and then he's hugging her.

"I missed you," she mumbles into his shirt. He kisses the top of her head in response.

"How are you?" He asks, running his fingers through her curls.

"I'm fine. I know my hair is a mess and I look hideous-" he cuts her off by pulling on one of her curls. "You _do not_ look hideous. It's my favourite thing about you."

"Please tell me you're joking," she pulls away and looks at him with an expression that says ' _do I look like an idiot?'_

"It's very Granger-ish," he tells her.

"Actually, it's Hermione-ish since my parents don't have hair like mine."

"Fine. Hermione-ish then."

Hermione shakes her head and just looks at him.

"May I?" He questions, pointing towards her shirt. Her blood tingles at the question until she realises he wants to look at the wound.

"It's gone," she murmurs, nodding her head to give him permission.

He furrows his brows as he gently tugs her shirt free from her skirt and lifts it up. He's surprised to find the skin of her stomach flawless.

"How's this possible?" He mutters more to himself than to her. "Maybe it was a spell or something," Hermione says, trying to smooth the frown on his forehead.

"No, Hermione. Your wound was practically oozing out blood when we first noticed it. It even hurt, remember? And then the bleeding stopped. The pain stopped. And now it's gone altogether."

Hermione waits for him to tell her whatever it is that's weighing on his mind.

"When I was a kid, I had a muggle friend. Mother and I used to visit muggle parks. Father didn't really care until he found out about my friend. He asked me to never talk to him again and I agreed," he tells her, his eyes narrowing as he visits the memory. "But I did. _Of course_ I did. I am his son after all. Father found out. He was enraged at me for lying to him so he took me to the dungeons," he shivers as he remembers the horrible night. Hermione grabs his hands and begins to rub them between her own.

"He had this blade. It was black. And cursed. He tore into my flesh with it. I screamed and screamed and begged him to stop, but he continued until he had the words Sorry Father carved into my forearm. I was horrified and scared and hurt. And he left me in the dungeons all alone. I passed out after a while" he recalls the incident and shudders.

"And when I woke up," he leaves the statement incomplete and it hangs heavily in the air around them.

"It was gone," Hermione finishes it for him. He nods his head and lets out a sigh.

"I swear if it's him," he begins in a low, menacing voice. "Draco," she interrupts him and lays her hands gently on face. "Your father is locked away in Azkaban. He couldn't have done it."

"If he's even the least bit involved, I will kill him with my bare hands," he hisses. Hermione gasps a little at that and then fixes him with a glare. "You will do no such thing, Draco Malfoy. And I can assure you that the man I saw was not your father. Besides, there could be more of those cursed blades. It doesn't have to be a single piece belonging to the prestigious Malfoys," she adds the last part as a joke, but he doesn't even smile.

"I don't want to see you hurt, Granger," is all he says, looking her dead in the eyes.

"I love you, Draco," she whispers, stunning him into silence. "I love you more than life itself," and she seals it with a kiss.

A harsh knock on the door makes them both jump apart. The door slams open and Ginny steps inside. She looks like she's been running and is slightly out of breath.

"Harry...Harry is here," she breathes, her own eyes widening and glazing over. "What?" Hermione exclaims, hurrying over to the door. "He's with McGonagall right now, but I swear to you it was him," she says, and places a hand on her chest to calm her erratic heart.

"Oh my God," Hermione's eyes brighten at the prospect of seeing her best friend after months.

Draco clears his throat and murmurs, "I'll see you later, Granger." He squeezes her hand as he passes her and nods at Ginny before leaving.

"We'll talk about this later," Ginny says. Hermione rolls her eyes and lets Ginny grab her hand and drag her towards the Headmistress' office. "Lets go and see what business Potter has with McGonagall."

 ** _Give me reviews and I'll give you chapters (insert devil emoji) :P. What business do you think Harry has?_**

 ** _As always, thank you for all the love. You guys are too kind x_**

 ** _HPFan- love, you're not annoying at all! In fact, I love reading your reviews. So glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks for asking about my well-being x_**

 ** _p.s You can expect weekly updates now :)_**

 ** _Edit:_** _My sweet, sweet Guest. Pansy took Luna's place as to not raise suspicion (Pansy was polyjuiced as Luna) You'll understand it better as the plot unfolds. Thank you for your love, darling x_


	31. Chapter 30

**A/N:** Yay! I'm on time. Glad you're all enjoying this story so far. A little twist in this chapter might put some of you off, but I promise it'll get better :)

Thank you for all the reviews x

 **ooo**

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Thirty**

 **ooo**

"Harry!" Ginny yells excitedly as Harry descends the staircase. His brilliant green eyes light up upon looking at his love and he gives her a brilliant smile. "Ginny," he breathes, as if he wasn't expecting to see her here. Ginny throws herself at him, hugging him tightly. Only then does Harry notice his best friend standing right behind Ginny.

"Hermione," he says, pulling away. "Oh Harry," Hermione says as she takes a step towards him. He hugs her to his body, crushing her bones.

"I miss you both every single day," he whispers to her softly. Hermione lets out a teary chuckle and hastily wipes the wetness away from her eyes.

"Oh God, Harry!" is all she's able to manage before she completely breaks down in his arms. Ginny soon joins them, and buries her face in Harry's shirt.

"This is embarrassing," Hermione says, pulling away and sniffling.

"Totally," Ginny laughs and looks at Harry. He shakes his head, smiling, and leans down to press his lips briefly against hers.

"How's Ron?" Hermione asks, her lips twisting into a sad frown.

"He's good. He'll be visiting soon," he tells them a bit seriously.

"What happened, Harry? What's wrong?" Ginny asks, recognising his tone.

"Come with me," he says, and begins to walk towards a classroom.

"Well well, if it isn't Potty," drawls an extremely familiar voice. Harry whirls around, his wand pointed directly at none other than Draco Malfoy.

Hermione's mouth drops open and she glares at Draco with all she has. Ginny grabs Harry's arm and lowers it.

"Malfoy," Harry snarls. "Potter," Draco says in a mocking tone, and looks at Hermione. Harry sneers at him and pulls Hermione behind him, shielding her from the blond's amusement filled stare.

"Oh Harry," Ginny sighs.

"My my, Potter. Didn't know you were still Granger's bodyguard," Draco smirks.

"Stay away, Malfoy," Harry snarls.

"I haven't moved an inch, Potter."

"Draco!" Hermione steps up to him and says in a chastising tone. "What are you, 12 again?"

And Draco just smirks at her.

Hermione rolls her eyes, but the corner of her lip twitches.

"What's going on, Hermione?" Harry questions, his eyes wide.

"You might want to sit down first, Harry," Ginny grabs his arm. Harry looks between them both and lets Ginny lead them towards an empty classroom.

"What did you come here for, Harry?" Ginny asks seriously.

"Malfoy," he says menacingly. "Malfoy Senior."

"Lucius?" Hermione's mouth becomes dry. Draco stills beside her and Hermione can see the way his fingers twitch uncontrollably.

"What happened to him?" Ginny asks, noticing the looks on everyone's faces.

Harry lets out a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. "He escaped from Azkaban," he deadpanns.

Draco's eyes widen and he takes a staggering step backwards. Hermione grabs his hand and squeezes it. He looks at her with disbelief in his eyes, but she glares at him and pulls him closer.

"When?" Hermione asks.

"Forty days ago," he answers.

Draco swears under his breath and clenches his hand into a tight fist.

"Didn't think to inform us before, Potter?" Draco snarls at him.

"The Ministry was trying to keep it quiet. We don't want people to panic."

"So why now"?

"Because I think you helped him somehow."

"What?" Hermione cries, dropping Draco's hand and taking a step towards Harry.

"Yes. I'm here to take him in for interrogation."

Ginny flinches as she watches Hermione's eyes flash dangerously.

"Harry. He was with me. Tri-wizards tournament, remember?"

"He could've fooled you easily, Hermione. He's Malfoy."

"He didn't. He wouldn't," she fires back. "And he's _Draco_ ," she says fiercely.

"Are you really defending him, Hermione!?" Harry launches to his feet.

"There's nothing to defend, Harry. Draco was with me the entire time!"

"And what has he done to you?! His father broke out of Azkaban, Hermione. Azkaban. And you saw for yourself how secure it is!"

"It's not so secure now, is it? Draco is not a suspect."

"I know."

A pause. "What?"

"That's what I came to McGonagall for."

"You what?" Hermione is really confused now.

"McGonagall told me she could monitor your locations. Turns out, _Draco_ really was with you the entire time," he says in amusement.

"Then..you..Then why you," Hermione sputters.

"I just wanted to see if what Ginny told me was true," he tells her, smirking.

Hermione looks at Ginny with disbelief, who raises her hands in surrender. " He doesn't know the whole thing."

"What? There's more?" Harry asks, turning towards his girlfriend.

Ginny bites her lower lip and gives Hermione a pleading look. Hermione lets out a long breath and drops down on one of the chairs.

"I'm with Draco, Harry," she openly declares.

"As in..."

"We're dating," she tells him.

"That's...I...I'm happy if you are," he finally gets it out, looking like a gaping fish. Hermione smiles weakly at him. "I am. Thank you," she gets up to hug him.

"Just be careful, Hermione," he whispers.

When she turns around to look for Draco, he's gone.

 **ooo**

"What do you mean Lucius is out?" Theo asks, his eyes wide. "He escaped from Azkaban forty days ago. Draco probably thinks he's the one who caught me. And now I can't get a hold of him, so _please_ let me in," Hermione says, trying to push Theo aside so she could enter the Slytherin common room.

"Hold on. But what if it really was Lucius?"

"So what? I'm not going to leave Draco for something that his father did. We're going to solve this. Together. Besides, I told you the man I saw wasn't him."

"There are other ways, Hermione. Polyjuice being the simplest one."

"But I was with him for hours, Theo. And the effects of polyjuice only last for an hour."

"Maybe he had more on him."

"He didn't. I kept a close eye on him."

"As I said, Hermione. Polyjuice is the simplest of options."

Hermione huffs out a frustrated breath and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Are you going to let me in or not?"

Theo rolls his eyes dramatically and whispers the password. The door swings open and Hermione takes in a deep breath before dashing inside. She gives the common room a once over, ignoring all the wierd stares, and then rushes up the stairs. "Draco!" She calls.

Entering the door labelled Eighth years, she stops dead in her tracks. There he was, lying on his bed, his head placed in Pansy Parkinson's lap. He sits upright upon noticing her arrival and swallows before looking away.

"Can we talk?" She asks in a firm voice.

Pansy sniggers at that, and leans in to whisper something in Draco's ear. Draco glares at her, but doesn't push away the hand that rests on his shoulder. "I'll see you later," Pansy says in a low voice, but loud enough for Hermione to hear.

Hermione clenches her jaw as the pug-faced bitch pushes past her to leave. Once she's gone, Hermione slams the door shut and takes two quick strides towards Draco.

"What's this about?" She asks, trying not to yell.

Draco doesn't say anything. Instead, he readjusts his pillows and rests his back against them.

"Draco," she exclaims. "I'm talking to you!"

"There's nothing to talk about, Hermione," he says.

"Yes, there is. What does Parkinson want? Doesn't she know about us?"

Draco lets out a mirthless chuckle. "Is that what you want to talk about? _Pansy?"_

"No," she cries. "I want to talk about why you've been ignoring me!"

"I'm not ignoring you, Hermione."

"Don't lie to me, Draco."

"I have no reason to lie."

"Then tell me the truth," she yells.

Draco stares at her for a long time before letting out a sigh.

"My father hurt you because you were with me."

"It wasn't your father, Draco," Hermione argues, crossing her arms above her chest.

"You can't be so sure about that, Granger."

"I know. But even if it is your father, Draco, I don't care," she takes a seat beside him on the bed.

Draco shakes his head. "But I do, Hermione. I do."

"Draco," she frowns and grabs his face in her hands. "We need to stick together. Please don't do this to us."

"Hermione," he exhales, grabbing her hands. "I will not allow you to get hurt because of me."

Her eyes begin to sting and she sniffs. "I won't. I won't get hurt if you're with me."

"I want to be with you. Trust me, I do," Draco runs his thumbs along her cheekbones.

"We'll figure it out," she tells him confidently.

"Then lets wait till we do that."

"So what, we're over?" She croaks, her eyes glossing over.

"Until my father is captured..." He leaves the rest unsaid.

Hermione nods mutely, feeling extremely tired all of a sudden.

"Hermione?" Draco calls her.

She just looks at him.

"I promise to remain faithful."

She says nothing as she turns around and leaves, feeling empty and hollow.

 ** _This chapter was very awkward for me to write. Please let me know what changes you think will be appropriate and I'll try to alter the chapter accordingly( minor changes only plis :P) Don't forget to review. All my love x_**


	32. Chapter 31

**A/N:** A little late but here it is. Its a bit of a filler really, but an essential chapter nonetheless. Thank you all for always being so patient with my inconsistency. Love xx

 **ooo**

 **Treasure Hunt**

 **Chapter Thirty One**

 **ooo**

"He can't do that!" Ginny yells, outraged.

"He did it," Hermione mutters, munching on a green apple.

"But..But.. He said he loved you."

"He's a coward," Hermione sneers.

"Are you alright?"

"As fine as I can be," she snorts. "I'm not hurt or sad now- really, I'm just mad at him."

"Do you think he's gonna come back?" Ginny asks, her eyes wide and full of worry.

Hermione exhales harshly and closes her eyes. "That's what I'm going to have to tell myself. Yes, he will."

"There's something missing too, right?" Ginny puckers out her bottom lip. "Something that you're hiding."

Hermione cracks an eye open and peers down at her friend. "What makes you say that?"

"Hermione, I saw how happy he was. And his love for you, it's visible in his eyes. I don't think he'd ever leave just because his father got out of Azkaban- _unless_ he did something..."

Hermione's eyes widen slightly. "You're too smart for your own good."

"What is it?" Ginny leans forward on the bed.

"You remember I told you about the reason why we took the portkeys back to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah."

"I told you it was because of some disease which had spread around the forest."

"You lied," the redhead accuses, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes I did," Hermione looks at her guiltily.

"Well, then spill."

"I was...kidnapped...by a man."

Ginny gasps, her eyes widening in horror. "Was..Was it Lucius?"

"No," she sighs. "That man wasn't even a man. He was a boy. He looked a lot like Theo, Gin."

Ginny stares at her with horror-filled eyes. "What did he do to you, Hermione?"

"He used a cursed blade on me. That blade, according to Draco, belongs to Lucius."

"Are you fine?" Ginny squeaks.

"He carved ' _Hello son_ ' into my skin, and it disappeared the next day."

"Oh my," Ginny breathes. "I can't believe you hid this from me."

"I'm sorry, Gin. I wanted to tell you- really, I did. But we were finally happy and I didn't want to worry you over nothing."

"This isn't nothing, Hermione," Ginny hisses. "He could've harmed you. _Seriously_. And I think it's pretty obvious who we're talking about here."

Hermione puffs out her cheeks and lets out a frustrated breath. "It was not Lucius!"

"Hermione! You cannot be so damn sure about that." Ginny exclaims.

"I have a feeling it's someone related to Theo," Hermione deadpans.

And silence follows.

 **ooo**

"Are you insane?! You broke up with the girl you've been trying to hit on for years?! Are you _fucking_ kidding me right now?" Theo whisper-yells at him.

Draco shakes his head and glares at the first years passing by.

"Draco. You need serious help. You broke up with Granger?" Theo tries to grab his arm, but he keeps walking.

"Don't you fucking say her name so loud," Draco snarls at him.

"You can solve this while being with her!"

"No I can't. It will only put her in more danger."

"What danger are you talking about?" Theo pulls at his hair in annoyance.

Draco whirls around to face him, making Theo jump. " _My father_ ," he sneers. "My father is the danger."

Theo rolls his eyes and pushes him away. "Your father can't do shit in Hogwarts. Literally."

"Then you don't know my father," Draco deadpans.

"Then what's the plan, huh? Let him take control of your life all over again? Let him take away that one ounce of happiness you just found?"

"Theo, stop it," Draco warns, turning pale.

"No, I won't stop it, Draco. I was there with you when you became a fucking _addict_ after watching Granger get tortured in your fucking drawing room," Theo yells.

Draco glares at him and pushes him back against a wall. "You stop this shit right now, Theo."

"Draco!" A voice he'd been longing to hear since yesterday calls.

Draco lets go of Theo and steps back, turning towards Hermione.

"What are you both doing?" She hisses, pushing them apart.

"His father got out of fucking Azkaban," Theo mutters under his breath and looks away. Hermione avoids eye contact with Draco, and only looks at Theo as she says, "leave him be, Theo. That's what he always does." A pause. "Coward," she adds in a whisper.

And without a single glance in Draco's direction, she stalks away.

 **ooo**

Theo lets out a string of curses as he rounds a corner and almost bumps into the Headmistress.

"Sorry, Professor," he mumbles his apology and continues to follow Hermione, who was undoubtedly rushing towards the library.

She abruptly comes to a halt as she looks towards the hallway on her right, and Theo scurries behind an aclove to hide.

He watches as her eyes glaze over and her chin begins to quiver. His brows furrow. _What's she looking at?_

Determined to find the answer, Theo steps out and goes and stands directly behind her. What he sees, makes him want to murder his best friends.

Pansy was hugging Draco in the middle of the hallway, and smirking at Granger.

" _Fuck_ ," he swears. Hermione sniffles and walks away without a word. "Hey, Granger!" He calls. " Wait!" He rushes after her.

"What do you want, Theo?" She asks midstride, her face red with fury.

"I want to tell you that it's not what it looks like," he offers her weakly.

"There you are. I thought you were heading for the library," says Luna as she starts walking beside them.

Theo gives her a weak smile and she returns it with a brilliant one of her own.

"Hermione," Luna says, softly.

Hermione doesn't say anything, but stops walking. "Lets tell her, Theo," she says with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

"Tell me what?" Hermione asks, brows raised.

Theo squeezes his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I don't think it's the right time, love."

"I think it's the perfect time," Luna replies in a dreamy voice and leads Hermione into an empty classroom. Theo locks the door and casts a silencing charm for any eavesdroppers.

"You remember the day we went dress shopping?" Luna asks, hopping onto a table.

"For?" Hermione asks, taking a seat beside her.

"For the Ball before the beginning of the tournament."

"Yes, I remember," she replies confusedly.

"Then you must also remember that I insisted that you try on a dress of my choosing, and I was the one who got the dress that you ended up buying."

Hermione looks at her confusedly. "I remember."

"Well. That dress was custom made for you! You did see the dragon constellation, didn't you?"

"What?!" Hermione exclaims. "You did that!"

"Actually, we did it."

Silence.

And then Hermione barks out a laugh. " And this is helping because?"

Theo rolls his eyes. " Draco liked you back then, Granger. He didn't show it, but I knew he was ecstatic at the opportunity to dance with you. So me and my lovely Luna here planned, and designed that dress for you. I told Draco about it, but he didn't believe it. In fact, he was ready to disembowel me for trying to embarrass you," he explains.

"I know you had a panic attack when you saw it. Sorry about that," he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

Hermione let's out a slow sigh and shakes her head. "You both are unbelievable."

"Oh please, the tension between you both could be cut with a fucking butter knife. That was just our way of pushing you towards each other."

Hermione's cheeks flame. "What tension?"

" _Sexual_ tension, Granger. We're all adults here, no need to turn into a fucking tomato," he teases.

"I'm not," she argues, blushing a little harder. She's a bit shocked that they'd noticed her little crush on him. She wonders if he knew as well.

 **ooo**

"It was so good to see you, Harry. Tell Ron I miss him and I intend on writing to him soon," Hermione says as she hugs the raven-haired man.

He squeezes her and smiles into her curls. "I'll make sure to give him an earful from you."

"Please do," she pulls away and grins at him.

Ginny appears by his side and throws her arms around his neck. Hermione smiles at Harry one last time before leaving the couple alone. As she rounds a corner, she swears she sees Theo, but he has a very serious look on his face as he disappears into a classroom.

She cranes her neck, a frown marring her face as she hears a very familiar drawl.

And there he is, his arm slung around Theo's shoulders as they both make their way towards the dungeons.

Her eyes widen.

 _Theo._

 ** _Yikes! Hate it? Love it? Please let me know :)_**

 ** _sorry for the cliffhanger *hides away*_**


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